The Daughter of Tethras
by Nature9000
Summary: Cadash arrives at the conclave as per her job with the Carta, and she soon joins the Inquisition, with the hope of finding her real father. Desiring a life together, father and daughter must struggle against the very forces that threaten to keep them apart. With the odds stacked against them, can they stand firm, or are they doomed to be torn apart forever?
1. The Dawn Will Come

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: This is a bit of a spin on Inquisition. It is Cadash, but with a twist and it goes through Inquisition. Her reason for going to the conclave is pretty much the same, and so are the events of the game, but as I said there is a spin. There's also an obvious reason her name is "Bianca", she's named after her birth mother.

* * *

Chapter 1 (Dawn Will Come)

Bianca Cadash lay curled on her bed, with her fingers clutching the sheets between them. Her body felt loose and her relaxed gaze was focused on the dark haired dwarf standing beside her. "That was…nice." There was a brisk hesitation in her voice, but it did not betray her lie. The feeling she once had long ago was gone, and the man she'd fallen for some years prior.

Her boyfriend fastened his belt and looked her over with a curious gaze. "Glad you approve," he muttered. Being with Lantos during her years with the Carta had been pleasant at first, and she felt secure with him, but lately things had changed.

Lantos had changed.

It seemed so long since Bianca had run from the Cadash house, and when she met Lantos and the Dasher. Now twenty years old and having been taken in by the Carta, she was the youngest member of the clan.

She spotted a cylinder tube poking from Lantos's pant pocket and her heart began to sink into the growing pit in her stomach. Seeing her gaze, he turned himself away and pushed the tube down. Bianca took a deep breath and rolled onto her side.

Her gaze moved beyond strawberry blonde hair strewn in front of her face, and landed on the brown leather-bound book seated neatly on an end table. Her lips curved up gently as the warm candlelight flickered above the book.

"What are you looking at?" Lantos asked in a course, jagged voice. Bianca frowned and started to extend her hand towards the book, but before she could grab it, Lantos swept it away. "This stupid thing? Another one of that guy's crazy novels? You know he's full of shit, right?"

"He is not." She sat up and started reaching for the book, but he had an inch of height on her and laughed while raising the book out of her reach. She raised her voice, lacing it with frustration as she tried to grab the book. "Give it back, Lantos!"

"You shouldn't waste your time reading this smut." Her lips stretched into a scowl and she hopped out of the bed, growling as a rush of anger pulsed through her body. He knew why the novels were important to her, but he didn't seem to care.

"Go to hell."

"Come on. You think he's going to magically give a damn about you because you read his books?" She lunged for him and kicked her foot forward, sweeping it across his ankle. Lantos fell with a scream, and Bianca caught the book as it fell through the air.

She hugged it close to her bare chest, grinning with satisfaction. It was a brave move, but today was one of those times when he wasn't in his more aggressive states. She preferred him like this, when he was calmer-when she didn't feel like leaving him because of the abuse he put her through.

She blamed that on the Carta; the proof rolled out of Lantos's pocket, and a dull ache spread across her chest when her eyes fell onto the vial. Inside was the dark red, sticky blood that the Carta had been forcing him to drink for the last several months.

The man she loved once, they destroyed. The security she longed for was diminished now every time she saw him, but she couldn't escape the Carta-she didn't know where she'd go, or what she'd do. No one wanted her around.

"I thought you weren't drinking that stuff willingly." Her eyelids fell halfway and her foot hovered over the darkspawn blood. Lantos pushed himself up with a frustrated groan and narrowed his eyes while swiping the vial out from beneath her foot.

"I'm not! I was going to show this to Dasher. Tell him what Aaron and the others have been doing." Lantos pushed the vial back into his pocket and pulled himself to his feet, muttering something under his breath.

His glare pierced into her, freezing her like a blast of ice. She fell back, catching herself to sit carefully on the bed. Lantos folded his arms across his chest and exhaled from his nose, pushing out the bristles of his moustache and beard.

"Speaking of obsessions. You and those stupid novels."

"Shut up." Most of the members in the clan knew why she was so fascinated with Varric Tethras and his books, and above all, Lantos knew more than anyone. Still, he was hardly supportive of her anymore, and she was beginning to forget if he ever had been. "You know he's my father…"

"Doesn't change a damn thing." She bowed her head and shut her eyes. She felt a heaviness growing in her stomach, tightening as she struggled to ignore the malice behind the man's words. "Be realistic."

She had to hope that she'd get to know Varric one day. The only reason she knew of him was because the Cadash family told her about him. They told her how she was brought to them by her birth mother, and how she was named after the woman. They told her how she was the product of an illicit affair, and how worthless and unwanted she was.

For the Cadash house, they were friends with the woman that abandoned her, which they reminded her of constantly. She was born out of wedlock, without caste, and was 'better off dead' according to them.

"I'm going to find him, Lantos. I want to." His eyes bulged for a moment and he let out a dismissive scoff. "It beats staying here." He frowned and looked at her with a great deal of anger in his eyes, but to her surprise he remained silent. Her brow furrowed and her lips stretched back into her cheeks. "You know what I mean."

Women in the Carta were often looked down upon by the male members, dominated and used for their sexual gratifications. For the longest time, Lantos had kept her away from the other Carta members; it angered them greatly but it was the one thing he fought them tooth and nail on.

As far as they were concerned, she belonged to him and they would have to keep their pants on. As a result, led by one of the Carta members, they forced darkspawn blood down Lantos's throat and spiked his meals with it-and it was slowly beginning to change him.

Like a Templar on lyrium, he was becoming hooked. He'd become angry, he'd become abusive-a monster that terrified her. He'd become a man she hated as opposed to the man she once felt safe and protected by.

"How are you going to find him, anyway? You don't even know where the hell he's going to be."

"The conclave. Remember?"

He raised an eyebrow and jerked his head back. "The whole thing with Divine Justinia?" She knew he didn't think too highly of either the conclave or the war that was going on between the Templars and mages. He thought it was getting out of hand, and he mentioned having a terrible feeling about the conclave in general.

"Yeah. I was thinking about asking Dasher if he'd let me go." She set the book down beside her and grabbed her clothes up from the floor. Dasher chuckled once and shook his head slowly from side to side.

"Right. Now what do you expect to happen?" He circled the bed almost like a shark, narrowing his eyes and waving his hand in the air. "Just go up to the man and say what? 'Hi, I'm the daughter you had from an affair twenty years ago'." Her chest grew tight from pain and the corners of her mouth sank towards her chin. "Yeah I'm sure that'll end all peaceful like. About as peaceful as a mage and Templar sitting down to dinner."

She stood up and pulled her shirt over her body. "You don't know what could happen, and neither do I." Lantos rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Sure. I doubt Dasher would let you go anyway."

She bowed her head and closed her fingers, tightening her hand to the point her knuckles were turning white.

Just then, a man with a blue cloak entered the room. He was tall for a dwarf, had dark eyes and a bushy blonde beard. "What won't I do?" Lantos spun around and poked his thumb over his shoulder.

"She's got a crazy idea that her father's supposed to be down at the conclave." Dasher scratched his beard and looked over as Bianca turned away. She was embarrassed that the issue was even being brought up, and by Lantos, of all people.

"How did you happen to hear of this, Cadash?"

"I overheard a merchant talking about it," she muttered. This merchant dwarf and another female dwarf were discussing Varric and how he was being questioned by the Seekers of Truth. "They said they were going to take him to see Divine Justinia."

"I see." He dropped his hand and his brow furrowed. "For the moment, I _do _need a couple volunteers to be at that conclave." Her heart skipped and her fingers trembled nervously. "I wanted to speak with you about possibly doing some spy work for me, this could be your first actual job."

"Wait." Lantos raised his hand and glanced at her. "You want to send _her_ to the conclave? Why do you even need Carta at the conclave?" She froze as Lantos raised his voice in urgency. "Her? She's hardly ready for something like that. Going into that kind of territory with two of the most problematic groups in all of Thedas. Are you _insane?"_

"I'd be honored to do the job," Bianca interjected. Lantos shouted for her to keep quiet and she dropped her gaze to the ground. Dasher frowned as Lantos approached the man while slicing his arm through the air.

"There's no possible way she's ready for a job like this. It's too risky, too dangerous, and hell, what do we even need with the Conclave?"

"It could be good for the lyrium trade." Dasher crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "She hasn't done a lot of field work as you know, so this would give her some great experience. Plus she doesn't have to go alone, I'll send someone with her. Maybe Aaron?"

Bianca froze as a wave of panic washed over her, bringing a cold sweat from the pores of her skin. She let a whimper escape her lips and sat back on the bed as Lantos started to tense.

"Hell no," Lantos replied with a guttural tone of voice. Dasher glanced between the two, humming with suspicion as Lantos jerked his thumb to his chest. "If anyone goes, I go with her." His black eyes darkened and he stepped forward, pulling his lips away from his snarling teeth. "The _last_ person to go anywhere near her will be Aaron. I'd sooner tear that asshole limb by limb if he went anywhere near her."

"She doesn't appear comfortable with you anymore, perhaps it is because of your aggressive nature?"

Lantos drew in a raspy breath and flared his nostrils. "I don't fucking care." He swept his hand out, gesturing at her. "If she doesn't want to work with me, that's her problem, but I'm not going to let anyone else go to that place with her. If you think anyone else is more capable than I am…"

Bianca didn't mind working with him, no matter how horrifying he'd become. It was better than the alternatives as far as she was concerned, and if working with him would get her closer to finding her father, she would do it.

She regained her composure and pushed her trembling hands beneath the blanket. "I don't mind working with Lantos at all." Lantos gasped out astonishingly while Dasher looked over her with concern and suspicion. "If it's for the best, I'll do it if you allow me to work the conclave mission for you."

"So be it," Dasher replied. The man frowned and a heavy sigh rolled away from him. "You two used to make an excellent team when you worked together. I'm not sure what has changed between the two of you, but hopefully you can put that aside for one more mission."

The job was simple enough, and in the passing days, Bianca was overcome with excitement. She tried to think of everything she would say to Varric, and she pushed down her fears of rejection the best that she could.

Arriving at the Conclave, however, they saw no sign of Varric. Bianca's nerves were running away with her and she was growing increasingly worried the more the night went on. Lantos had been following her most of the night, saying little to discourage her but saying little to encourage either.

"You know it's probably best we don't find him," he replied with a casual smirk. Bianca rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him the best she could. "Think about it, Bianca. He may not even know you exist. What if he doesn't even want a daughter? What if he's not what you want or what you expect?"

"Stop talking."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm nervous enough, I don't need you hassling me." He was right, though. She needed to be careful with just how much of her heart she wanted to let down on the chance that Varric might not even want her around. "Why can't you be more supportive? You know, it's like you're a completely different person."

"Seriously? You just be lucky I'm managing to stay calm right now." His eyes narrowed and his hands balled up tight. "You could try showing a bit more respect."

He chuckled wryly and shook his head. "Anyway, I'm only trying to get you to see the inevitable." She drew in a shaky breath of air and shut her eyes as every muscle in her body started to tense. "Do you even know if he'd accept you right now? You're a member of the Carta, part of the criminal underworld." Lantos extended his hand and raised his eyebrows up. "Hell, according to you, you're 'damaged goods'. How do you even know if he'll want you around?"

Her protest stuck in her throat, and salty tears started to burn her eyelids. "I-I don't have to listen to this." Her heart was racing against her chest and she could feel a great sense of despair coursing through her veins. "I don't have to listen to you."

"Bianca." She turned her back to him and started walking away, praying inwardly that he wouldn't follow after him. "Bianca don't you walk away from me." He raised his voice, calling after her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Anywhere you're not," she hissed. Bianca grabbed the hilt of her sword and glared at him, forcing him to take a step away from her and raise his hands up. "Leave me the hell alone, Lantos."

"Bianca…"

"Just leave me alone. That's all."

She continued walking, picking up the pace and ignoring Lantos calling after her. His words were like poison to her quivering heart, darkening it with doubt as she considered what he had to say regarding the possibility of Varric rejecting her.

The thought that the one person she'd always hoped to find might turn her away forced hesitation within her. "I have nothing in life. The one person I thought I could trust is being turned into a demon, and whether it's him or the Cadashes, I'll only ever be stuck in some abusive situation…"

As far as she was concerned, she had to get to know her father. If he didn't accept her, she didn't want to go back to the Carta. She couldn't go back to the Cadash house either, not after the years of running from them.

"Maybe I am better off dead," she whispered while approaching a door. Tears ran over her cheekbones and she turned her head skyward, whimpering as the sky appeared to darken.

Shadows fell around her and filled her with a deep sense of dread. "Bianca!" Lantos called from several yards away. "Come on, we should get going. There's nothing here for us."

In an effort to get away from him, she started to turn the handle of the large door into the meeting room. "Who am I kidding, really?" She didn't hear the screaming from inside over Lantos, and bit back on the simmering anger and fear growing within.

Tears splashed out from her eyes as she slammed her eyelids shut. "I was a mistake. I shouldn't have ever happened. My own mother didn't think I was good enough for her." Without caste, without anyone that wanted her, she was nothing. The Cadash family made sure to remind her of that at every possible turn in her life.

Family friends of her mother, their connection to the woman was the one saving grace that kept her from being tossed into the deep roads as a small baby.

"Even my adoptive parents raised me out of obligation." Lantos's recent bouts of rage and abuse may have been fearful and shattering, but he hardly came close to that family she left behind.

Her heart began to tremble and the ground started rumbling beneath her feet. "Why would my father possibly want anything to do with me? A best-selling author, some famous writer who knew the 'Champion of Kirkwall', he wouldn't want anything to do with me."

"Bianca, get back here!" Lantos was screaming now, ordering her to turn back and get away from the meeting room. He saw something she didn't, but she continued to ignore him.

A violent scream pierced the air, jarring her thoughts. She jerked her head up and froze in shock when she saw a tall, thin creature glaring at her. His long, bony fingers held a strange green orb with a swirly design.

"What's going on here?" She stammered. In front of the creature was Divine Justinia, bound by magic. The creature dropped the orb in shock and Bianca's eyes widened. As though on reflex, she lunged forward to pick up the strange orb from the ground, ignoring the shouts of everyone around her.

The moment she touched the orb with her left hand, a surge of pain shot into her arm and pulsed through her nerves. She flew back, screaming aloud as her entire body started to rip apart from a violent explosion, and in that moment, she started to accept that she might not survive.

Coming to, she saw nothing but green skies and broken paths surrounding her. Someone was calling out to her, but she wasn't sure who. "Watch out for the demons!" It was Divine Justinia's voice. When she looked to the right, she could see giant spiders charging at her like a bull.

She scrambled to get up, screaming as the demons closed in on her. The pain with in her body surged, causing her to collapse to her knees. "I can't," she cried out in frustration. "I can't do it."

"You have to. You must survive!" She ground her teeth together and forced herself to stand up despite the feeling of being slammed by a ton of weight. Tears formed in her eyes and she glared at the woman, challenging her.

"Why?" Her chest expanded as she breathed in deep. "Lantos was right. No one wants me, no one cares. Why should I even bother-" In the portal behind Justinia she caught a glimpse of a sight that stole the breath from her lungs.

It was of a burly dwarf with broad shoulders and a thin, but muscular physique. A large crossbow was positioned on his right shoulder, being held in place with a strong right handed grip. A slick smirk stretched across his face, and his half-lidded eyes appeared to peer at her as though he could see her.

"Is-Is that my father?" She stumbled forward, furrowing her brow and reaching out with her hand. Her heartbeat flickered erratically and her tears glazed over trembling lips.

"Hurry." Justinia extended her hand and Bianca carefully placed her hand in hers. She started to doubt whether what she saw was real, but the moment she felt the Divine's hand tighten around hers, she was being shoved through the rip.

She started to scream as a shockwave coursed through, and for a moment she thought she could still hear Lantos shouting for her. Light flashed before her eyes, lasting for what seemed to be several seconds before fading into darkness as she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

I hope you enjoy this as it goes along. Please do let me know what you think


	2. A Broken World

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Hey, I love that some of you are enjoying this, and I'm grateful, but feel free to leave your opinion on what's going on once in a while, I value any and all input too. I would love to know what you think of the story as it goes, but completely up to you. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 2 (A Broken World)

It wasn't long until Bianca found herself in chains, being questioned by a tall red-headed woman wearing a long purple cloak, and a second woman with short dark hair and a scar on her cheek. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now," the scarred woman said with a sneer.

She looked towards her hand, cringing at the pulsating sensation shooting through her arm. When she turned her hand, she saw a flash of green, and what looked like a gaping wound.

She cried out and turned her head away from the mark on her hand. She wanted to shoot back at the woman, to tell her she'd happily accept a death sentence. _"My life has gotten me to this point, what else do I have to lose?"_ The woman went on about an explosion that took the lives of many, and asked her what happened.

Bianca tried to recall the events at the Conclave, but the last thing she could remember was Lantos verbally abusing her before she opened a door. Although she scolded herself for it, she hoped Lantos was one of those many, but that was an impulsive thought.

"They're all dead?" She asked with a trembling voice. "I don't remember anything. I swear. I don't know what happened." She was asked about her presence at the Conclave, but she didn't want to say anything about her father.

Not now, and perhaps not ever. Lantos, the Cadash family, and just about everyone else she ever told spouted that she'd never be accepted. She believed it.

The woman raised a hand to strike, but the redhead took her wrist. "We need her, Cassandra." Cassandra pulled her hand away and let out a grunt. Bianca raised her gaze to the woman and pressed her lips together for several seconds.

"It would be better for me to show you," Cassandra said. Her voice was softer now, although still firm with anger. The woman undid the cufflinks around Bianca's wrists. The cool air was soothing to the skin that had been rubbed raw by them. "Come. Do not try to run."

"Where would I go?" She walked out with Cassandra and tensed as the villagers nearby shuffled and glared in her direction. When she looked up, she was horrified by the giant glowing hole in the sky; it was likely the reason for the people that looked down on her. "Do they hate me?"

"They are already judging you. They are looking for someone to blame for what has happened. It is said that something caused an explosion at the Conclave. Divine Justinia, and several others were lost as a result." Her heart sank and she bowed her head.

"I didn't-"

"I believe you, but that does not change the fact that we still do not know what or who caused the breach."

As they moved onward, she held her wrist as though it would cut off the painful pulses shooting from her hand and up her arm.

All around them people were fighting, shouting and running. The smell of blood was so great that she was beginning to grow faint. "What can we do?"

"We have to find a way to close the breach. I suspect it has something to do with that mark on your hand, but I cannot be certain."

"Can I ask something?" It wasn't an opportune time, but she felt the question in mind had to be said. After all, she wanted to forget about Lantos if at all possible. "There was another with me at the Conclave. The last I saw of him, he was yelling at me."

Cassandra's eyebrow rose and her eyes squinted. "How do you mean 'yelling'?"

"I'd prefer not to talk about my connection with him. I just have to know…did you find the body of another dwarf nearby?" She turned towards Cassandra. Her lips pursed and her hands closed tight. "About an inch or two taller than I am, dark hair…" The woman studied her for a moment, then shook her head.

"I am sorry, but you were the only one present at that Conclave."

"Oh." Then Lantos was still alive. If he didn't perish in the explosion, there was no way the scrappy dwarf was going to be killed any other way. "He-He's still out there, then."

"Should I have people be on the lookout for this man? Is he a danger?"

Yes. Her heart and her mind were screaming the answer as loud as possible, but this was neither the time or place to bother Cassandra with it.

"No," she replied with a subtle breath. The muscles in her arms tensed and a tightness spread over her chest. "No, it's best not to worry about him now. There are more important things to deal with, right?"

"That is correct."

So long as the Dasher was still alive, he would keep Lantos from seeking her out. Though she wasn't sure what Lantos would tell the man.

Dasher was not only their boss, but he was the only one on their clan that looked out for her in any way. He didn't approve of the way the men treated the women in the clan, but could do little about it, but he often went to great pains to prevent anyone from abusing or using her for pleasure; Lantos was the only one bold enough to go out of his way to get around Dasher. To the point she couldn't feel safe.

"What's going to happen to me after this? Will you send me back?"

"Do you wish to return to your home?"

"I…Not really."

There was another explosion nearby that caused the pain in her hand to surge violently. She dropped to her knees, screaming as she clamped her hand around her wrist. Cassandra rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.

"It's getting worse!" Her teeth clenched together and she sucked the air in between her teeth.

"We must hurry." She pleaded for death to take her, but with Cassandra at her side, she willed herself to move on. "Can you walk?" While she wasn't sure why she continued to press forward, there was something in her gut that kept her from giving up.

"I'll be alright. Let's keep going…Maker help me, I won't be a burden. I promise." Her choice of words were more a reflex than anything. The way Cassandra was reacting to her, the vicious interrogation earlier, it had all brought forth the memories of abuse she suffered at the hands of the Cadash house.

With her adoptive mother always calling her a mistake, a burden, and her adoptive father constantly striking her for every minor misstep and every transgression, it was great cause for concern. Especially when taking into account that they often treated their true children with more kindness.

"Try and relax," Cassandra said calmly, as though sensing Bianca's distress. "Maker willing, this will all be over soon."

Before she could respond, there was another explosion. She flinched and felt the ground crumbling beneath her feet. When she looked down, the bridge they were on was indeed shattering, leaving her with little time to grab onto anything.

When she landed, the shock of hitting the ground was enough to dull the pain from both the landing and the mark. She pulled herself to her feet and the first thing she saw was a strange purple monster with long scrawny arms.

Her heart lurched forward and she yelped. "What is that thing?"

"A demon." Cassandra drew her blade and grabbed the sword from her back. Bianca knew very little of demons, but she knew her people fought off darkspawn in the Deep Roads. This creature looked nothing like what was described in the textbooks as Darkspawn.

To her right was a long two handed blade. On instinct, she grabbed it and charged at the demon coming for her. Part of her preferred to stare into the burning red eyes of this monster than to have to stare down Lantos again, so fighting this creature off would be a cinch.

The first slash flew through the creature as though it were putty. Her eyes slanted as the creature slid back, and to her shock, a layer of slime slid over the once gaping wound.

She took another strike at it only to find the same result, but with each slash she noticed the creature's body growing thinner. The only way to ensure death was to continue striking it.

The adrenaline inside her allowed her to keep fighting despite the searing pain, and after a countless amount of slashes the monster melted into a disgusting, bubbling puddle.

Cassandra finished off the demon charging at her, then turned her blade towards Bianca. "Put down your weapon!" Bianca flinched and her muscles tensed as a flash of horror glinted in her eyes.

"As you wish." She lowered the blade, keeping her eyes locked with the sharpened glare coming from the woman. Cassandra's facial features relaxed and her eyes softened.

"I'm sorry, I should not expect you to be defenseless." Cassandra sheathed her blade and smiled warmly. "I should remember you came willingly." Bianca breathed out a sigh of relief and strapped the blade to her back. "We do not know what we may face."

"Alright." She turned her eyes to the breach in the sky and watched with horror as more of these strange demonic creatures fell from the sky. Cassandra followed her gaze and responded with a grunt.

"Let's keep moving." Bianca nodded and ran alongside Cassandra. She sensed the woman studying her and looked over. "I'm curious, you seem to display a decent amount of swordplay. Where did you learn to use a blade?"

"My boss personally trained me." She'd only been with the Carta for a few short years, and Dasher was taken by her, so he was happy to teach her a few tricks. "Most dwarves are best with archery or daggers, but I've liked the look of swords since I was a girl. Dasher was a sword user, so he trained me."

"Dasher? This is your former boss?"

"Yes." The only reason she was saying 'former' instead of current was because she had no intention of going back. She knew they didn't want her there, and Lantos was sure to paint an ugly picture of her.

With nowhere left to run to, she preferred to crawl into a hole and die. She couldn't figure out why she survived the explosion, nor did she want to. "Can I say something, Cassandra?"

"Sure."

"I don't know if I'm going to survive this." Her father hadn't been at the Conclave, and if he was, then he was sure to be dead. The thought of it brought tears to her eyes, but she turned away to keep Cassandra from seeing them. "If I do, if we fix that hole in the sky, I want you to end it."

Cassandra's eyes widened and her lips fell apart. "What? Are you asking me what I think?"

"I have no home to go back to, I have nobody that wants me around. There's no reason for me to keep going once this is all said and done."

"Enough. I will hear no talk of this right now." She pulled her head back and smiled sadly.

"Right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It isn't that." Cassandra sliced through another oncoming demon and ran ahead. "There are some fighting right now, we must get to them as soon as possible."

"Who's fighting?"

"You'll see." She rolled her eyes and followed the without question.

They ran up a set of stairs, where she could hear the sounds of a struggle. There was a flash of light, then a sudden chill that wafted into the air. "Damn it Solas!" Cried a deep voice. There was a grumbling noise within the man's voice, one that was odd yet curious to her. "Watch where you're aiming that thing would you? You nearly froze my eyebrows off."

"I apologize," replied a voice with a silky tone. "However, I could say the same thing about you and your crossbow, Varric." Bianca's heart stopped and her legs froze. She feared her knees would give out from under her.

Her fingers began trembling and her mouth fell open. Cassandra stopped just a few paces in front of her and turned around. "What are you doing? We must help them."

"Right." She stammered, then shook herself back to reality. "Sorry, I-I thought I heard something." She was certain it was a mistake, she was only imagining that name being said.

They entered the fray, but there were so many demons that she could hardly see any of the fighters. By the time it was over, a tall and bald-headed elf was grabbing her hand and pointing it at the strange green portal before them.

A blast of energy shot from her hand, being drawn to the portal. She watched as it quivered and shrank, then gasped out when the portal disappeared. "You've done it!" Solas proclaimed. "You've closed the rift."

"I…I did that?" She looked down at her hand. Her eyebrows rose and she glanced to the right. That's when she saw him, a rugged looking dwarf with a heavy chin, stubble and similar colored hair. The only difference was his hair was more faded in color than hers, a sign of his age.

The man returned his crossbow to the holster on his back and his eyes fell onto her. "It's about time you two showed up, I thought we'd be knee deep in demons forever."

She didn't want to believe what she was seeing, she wanted to know she was imagining things, but as she studied him she knew his face in an instant. Only one time before had she seen this man, and while it was when she was a child, she never forgot his face.

Varric Tethras. He and his brother were in Kirkwall when the Cadash family went there on a business trip. She was so small at the time that they had to take her with them. Mother Cadash made a remark that this man was the one her mother slept with, the one that was "responsible for Bianca's existence".

He looked no different than he did back then. The longer she gazed at him, the more certain she was that he and the other two were becoming suspicious of her.

"You're Varric Tethras," she said excitedly. He raised an eyebrow, clearly stunned that she recognized him before he had a chance to introduce himself. "The renowned author from Kirkwall. You wrote the tale of the Champion, you wrote Hard in Hightown, and-"

"Sounds like you have a fan," Solas chuckled. Varric cleared his throat and raised up a finger.

"Hold on, you've read Hard in Hightown? Isn't that a little out of your age range?"

"I've read all your novels."

"_All_ of them?" His face paled and his eyes grew large with horror. In the corner of her eyes she watched Cassandra's face turn crimson. Solas brought his hand up over his grinning lips.

"Many times since I was five years old. You may not remember me, but my family traveled to Kirkwall fifteen years ago. You gave me my first novel." As she remembered it, she ran up to him hoping to tell him what she heard her mother say. She didn't, simply because she was too nervous, but she did ask if she could have a book.

"I remember you now." He smiled at her and a hint of pride flashed in his eyes. "It's good to see you're a fan." Varric turned to Cassandra and pointed at Bianca. "You see, Seeker, there are some people who enjoy my novels."

Cassandra crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "We have little time to discuss your novels, Varric. However, I believe introductions are in order…"

Bianca nodded and moved her hand to her chest. "I'm Bianca of house Cadash." Varric's face contorted and his eyebrows slid together, pushing a wrinkle up between them.

"Cadash? I am sorry for you."

"You know them?"

"I know of them." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Brutal bunch of assholes."

"Varric!" Cassandra's eyes grew and her voice lashed out at him. "That is her family you're speaking of." Varric swept his hand through the air, scoffing back at the woman.

"I've never cared for them. They are a bunch of liars, cheats and scumbags."

"Still, even if-"

"It's fine," Bianca replied. She agreed with Varric, even though he likely only knew a small part of just how terrible that family was. "He's correct. Regardless, I've left the m behind long ago. They are…" Her head bowed for a moment and with a sigh, she looked back at Varric. "Not my family by birth."

That was as much as she wanted to get into. Lantos's words were like poison to her brain, playing over and over again. If she told Varric who she was exactly, there was little doubt he would turn her away.

"Well." Varric dusted off the lower portion of his uniform and turned his attention to Cassandra. "Looks like I'll be tagging along, Seeker." Cassandra grunted and Bianca flashed a smile.

Now she had a reason to keep going forward, even after this was closed. Even if he may never accept her, just being there was enough for now.

* * *

As you can see, it will follow the main story, though some of the game's events we may not see just like we won't see them doing every single side quest in the game. Just plot critical moments for this story. So what do you think, do you think Varric suspects anything? Would he be likely to accept her? What are your thoughts on the background of Cadash? We'll likely see Lantos again, he does become a problem later on as well. You can tell that the family that raised her, and the members of her Carta clan have groomed her to believe that he likely wouldn't accept her as his daughter, is she right to fear this?


	3. Start of the Inquisition

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 3 (Start of the Inquisition)

Bianca awoke with a startled gasp and a heavy sweat, her heart was racing and her hands trembled violently. The last thing she remembered was assaulting the breach with Varric, Solas and Cassandra at her side.

Now, not only was she shocked to discover that she could actually _dream_, she was having a nightmare regarding Lantos and her Carta clan.

As heavy breaths fell from her lips, a crash pulled her attention forward. A small elven girl was kneeling down with her hands over her head and her body shaking. "I-I'm so sorry," the girl stammered. Bianca held her breath and closed her eyes while breathing in through her nose.

She separated her lips to release the breath, then turned her eyes onto the elf. "Why are you so scared? What happened?" The girl continued to tremble, whimpering as she stood up.

"It's been three days. Posthaste. Lady Cassandra said posthaste." The girl took off, leaving her alone in the strange house. Her chest expanded slowly and she raised her hands to her eyes, rubbing them with a gentle motion. She didn't understand whether the girl meant she'd been sleeping for three entire days, but now wasn't the time for sleep.

"Is he still out there?" She muttered to herself. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and dropped her hands onto the edge where they firmly clutched the mattress and sheets. "If he survived the Conclave-can he still come after me?"

A sudden knocking caused her to flinch and shout in surprise. When she turned, she saw Varric standing in the doorway with his knuckles tapping the frame. "Hey kid, I thought I'd check on you." A gentle smile spread across his face and his soft eyes soothed her frayed nerves. "That servant girl just ran through the camp shouting that you were awake."

"I'm fine." She jumped off the bed and ran the back of her hand over her forehead, wiping away the sweat. "Hey…dwarves don't have nightmares, do they?" Varric's smile faded away and he shook his head.

"We don't dream, much less have nightmares."

"That's what I thought. It's just-it's weird."

"Solas may know." Varric approached her and leaned against the foot of the bed. "It might have something to do with that mark of yours." She groaned as flashes of the vivid nightmare struck her.

"Great…" Varric's shoulders dropped and he raised his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it while letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to dream. I don't want this mark. I don't want any of this."

"I know it won't help, but Cassandra said you mentioned someone by the name of Dasher?" She slowly looked towards him and nodded, but remained silent out of uncertainty on just how much he knew. Varric swayed sideways and furrowed his brow. "I know several leaders of various Carta clans through my workings in the merchant's guild…You got saddled with Dasher's clan?"

"Yes."

"I…" A look of sorrow and pain flashed in his eyes. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I am so sorry. Of all the clans, I know how rough theirs is." He crossed his arms and opened his eyelids partway. "Far as I know, Dasher's trying to change things. I can't figure out if it's his lieutenant or something else that isn't letting it happen."

"As long as Dasher's alive, things are fine. I really don't care to talk about them." Varric's hands started to close, and his jaw locked in place. "If you know how that clan is, then you know why I don't want to go back there."

She could see in his eyes that he was well aware of the events that took place in that clan, but she didn't understand his anger. "Does the carta member have a name?"

"Lantos."

"I see. Then, before I came in, you said something about someone looking for you? Is that the guy?" She nodded her reply. Varric's muscles appeared to tense, and his brow furrowed. He motioned his head to the left. "Go to the chantry. Cassandra's waiting for you there…"

"Thanks." She started for the door. Varric called out to her so she stopped and looked back with a smile. "Yes?" His foot tapped the ground and his arms uncrossed to hang at his sides.

"You shouldn't have to worry about your clan coming after you. If a problem arises, talk to Cullen or Leliana about it. I assure you, if this Lantos guy does show up, he will have to get past my crossbow first."

"I've dealt with him before, I can handle him fairly well. I'd just rather not have to deal with him."

"I understand. We dwarves have to look out for each other though." She smiled at him, studying him for the moment. She took a breath, then left. She wasn't sure exactly where the chantry was, but the people standing around were able to point her in the right direction.

"Thank you." She appreciated the protective concern, but in more of a way than he probably meant it. The thought of having a father looking after her was something she enjoyed, especially since her adoptive one never looked after her in the way he did his other children.

"Before I head over there, I have a question." Varric looked back at her and motioned for her to ask. "Apparently I've been out for three days…so what all happened?" She leaned her shoulder against the frame and folded her arms over her stomach.

"You didn't miss much." He chuckled once and swayed his hands out sideways. "I mean, between Cassandra fighting tooth and nail with Roderick and Solas trying to keep you alive, there wasn't much happening."

"And the Breach?'

"It's still in the sky, but calmer." Her lip pouted for a second and she turned her gaze over her shoulder. A powerful sense of defeat hit her, since she'd hoped to have closed it and then she could get on with her life.

"What about you, then?" He raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"I had Leliana check on something for me, but other than that, nothing." A frown flickered on her face and she dropped her shoulders. While she wasn't sure what she hoped he might say, she was grateful that everyone made it out of that final battle.

"Now. The chantry is going to be just up the hill; follow the path. You won't get lost either, a bunch of soldiers are standing at attention out there, basically pointing the way."

She had no doubt that she could find the Chantry on her own, but she wanted to have this moment to spend some time with her father, even if he didn't know it. "You could show me." She looked on with a hopeful smile and raised her shoulders. "What else do you have to do?"

"I-" Varric fell quiet and looked into her eyes. He breathed in and the tension in his body subsided. "Alright, come with me." Her heart skipped and she followed him outside.

The first thing she saw was a line of soldiers and villagers standing with their hands over their chests in salute. She was taken aback by this. "Why are they saluting me?"

"Because you silenced the breach and closed a few rifts. In short, saved a bunch of lives." As they walked along the path, Bianca looked up at the sky. The hole in the sky was still present, but it wasn't swirling as violently as before.

The mark was still present on her hand, but it wasn't painful anymore. It was still horrifying, and she wanted it gone.

Bianca did what she could to ignore both things in the moment and focused on the man walking alongside her. "So Varric, I didn't get a chance to ask…your crossbow. I can't help but notice the similar name. Did you know a Bianca once?"

"Once," he replied, "A promise. It is still the one story I will not tell." She furrowed her brow and nodded, understanding his stance. The fact that he knew a girl named Bianca was curious, but prying might upset him, and she wanted to get to know him rather than push him away.

As they approached the chantry, she noticed an oddity in the line of soldiers and villagers. Between two soldiers was a dwarf with his head bowed and his arms folded across his chest.

His face was shrouded by his jet black coat and hood. He wore dark colored pants as well, and was an inch or two taller than she was.

As they passed, the man didn't raise his head and made no movements. Between them was Varric, who was focused on the building several feet away. There was something ominous about the man that drove her to move a bit closer to her father upon reflex. She didn't have her sword on her, so if anyone were to take a swing at her now, she would only have her hands to fight with.

Varric raised his hand to his chin and his eyes drifted over to her. "Cassandra told me what you said to her during the fighting." She raised an eyebrow and curled her fingers inward. "Asking her to kill you."

Her eyes dropped to the ground. Varric scratched the back of his head and exhaled sharply. "For what it's worth, I am glad you survived." She stifled a gasp and raised her gaze back to him. "You should know that no one gave up on you during the last three days."

He dropped his hand and smirked. "Cassandra seems to want you to be a part of this merry band she's forming."

"Oh?"

"Yep. The Inquisition. She wants you to be a part of it, especially since that mark on your hand can close the breach. It's only a matter of figuring out how." This wasn't something she wanted to get involved with. Sure it was the right thing to do, and she did want to help if at all possible, but it wasn't her choice. The breach ensured that it wasn't her choice.

"Will you be a part of the Inquisition, Varric?" He stopped before the large doors of the chantry and curled his hand around the brass handle.

"Oh yeah." He pulled open the door and motioned for her to enter. "I'm here for the long haul. Though Seeker may not like it." She walked inside, fighting down the grin that was attempting to widen on her lips.

If he was staying, then she could do this. As long as her father was here, she didn't need him to know her as his daughter in order for her to spend some time with the guy. "Good. I'm glad."

She looked outside at the dwarf still standing with his head bowed and concealed, and a sense of danger hit her. "Varric, maybe you should come inside?" He laughed and shook his head.

"This is as far into the chantry as I'd like to get." Varric peered beyond her and she twisted around looking at the large wooden doors at the end of the hall. Cassandra's voice could be heard echoing from the room, and joining hers was a man who she could only assume was this Roderick Varric spoke of. "Plus, I've had enough of shouting for the past few days, it's making my head pound."

"Why are they fighting anyway? They've been at each other's throat since the Conclave." She hadn't forgot about Roderick wanting her chained up and sent to Val Royeaux for judgment, but surely he wasn't still arguing that. "Or are they still fighting about me?"

"Yep. They are. I'll be at the campfire outside if you need anything." He pat her on the back, then waved as he started to head outside.

Her eyes darted to the dark clothed dwarf and she called out urgently. "Varric." He stopped and turned around with a sigh. "Be careful. There's someone out there that's giving me a bad vibe."

"The one dwarf, right?" She jerked her head back and he smirked. "I notice things that are out of place, you don't become a writer without being observant."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, I've got _'Bianca' _here." He pat his crossbow and flashed a smirk. "Now hurry up, I don't know how much longer Seeker can go without lobbing off the guy's head. Let me know if you're joining her Inquisition."

"Okay." She watched with a lingering gaze as Varric walked away. Her eyelids were moist, and the sunlight glinted off the mist in her eyes. She turned away and looked up to the doors, whispering aloud. "I'm definitely staying here, father…"

* * *

So the Inquisition begins. Bear in mind again that while the events in the game are concrete, there are differences. Such as you've seen this chapter, Varric walking with her to the chantry. There are also various things that happen in the game that are assumed to happen here but we won't see it because it's frivolous. Anyway, what are your thoughts on this chapter?

Please do say something, I want to hear your reactions to the events in chapter, but I won't beg. Do you suspect Lantos may be up to something? Varric said he had Leliana check on something, what do you think he might have had her look for?


	4. Nobody Important

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 4 ("Nobody Important")

"It is difficult," Bianca said as she walked with Mother Giselle through the main camp of the Hinterlands. All around them were bodies of rogue Templars and rebel mages, a horrific sight that was hard to take in. "My clan in the carta…Dasher always tried to keep me away from the violence. This isn't the first time I've seen death, but it's the first time I've had to kill people."

"Sometimes death cannot be avoided," Mother Giselle replied softly. Bianca furrowed her brow and looked up to the woman. "If you are being attacked, and there is no other alternative, it is understandable that you must do what you must to protect yourself and those around you."

Today, she protected the refugees in the Hinterlands. Aside from the deaths that occurred, it was for a good cause. "I see." She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as a gentle brush of wind caressed her tanned cheeks.

All around them were countless hills and mountains with green grass that rams and other animals grazed upon. The brilliant blue sky with painted puffs of clouds was much different than the broken sky of Haven.

Still, the Hinterlands were littered with rifts, demons, and numerous bandits. Not to mention the mages and Templars. "How can a place so beautiful be drenched with so much blood, Mother Giselle?"

"These are truly difficult times, as I am sure you are aware." She opened her eyes and looked to the distance. Cassandra was off speaking with Corporal Vale about the refugees, Solas was helping to heal the wounded, and Varric was standing on a high rock that looked over the entire campground.

Mother Giselle followed Bianca's gaze to the man and breathed in slowly. "It is a world where lives are lost, men and women become desperate. Children lose their parents and parents separated from their child…" Her lips parted and she continued to study Varric. His arms were crossed and his gaze was like a hawk's. "In these days small blessings can truly inspire-to see a child reunited with their parent is but a small blessing with great impact."

"I explained to you why I can't tell him." She hoped Mother Giselle would honor that decision. "I can't be rejected again. Not by him, not when I've looked for him for so long."

"I understand. But I do hope that the two of you may not miss a chance to be reunited. We know not the outcome of our futures, and today we know our tomorrow is uncertain."

"You're a very wise woman."

"Thank you." Giselle positioned her hands at her waist, folding her right over her left. "You are young yet, with much to learn, and yet you have been given a great responsibility."

"I'm not sure a lot of people would be willing to take it on. I don't even feel strong enough-tough enough."

"You are as strong as what is in your heart."

"Right…" Mages, Templars, demons and blight-ridden animals; she had already had almost all she could take of it. "I'm going to miss having the only thing I need to hide from being my ex boyfriend when he's angry or demanding sex-if I can even call him that." She rolled her eyes and froze, realizing what just came out of her mouth.

When she looked to Mother Giselle, the woman's eyebrows were high and her mouth hung open. Bianca closed her hands and sighed. "Sorry, I was speaking without thought."

"It is okay. Tell me, was this lover of yours a dangerous man?"

"He wasn't a lover. Not exactly." She wasn't sure what the word for it was, and she didn't feel like thinking too hard on it. As far as she was concerned, Lantos was someone she hoped never to have to deal with again.

"Lantos was dangerous though. I'm not sure how dangerous he is _now_, or even if he is a threat to anyone, but he's not someone I want to see again. I'd throw myself into the breach before I have to spend any more time with him."

She found that, in a way, the conclave may have been a good thing for her. Primarily because she was now out of the life of the Carta, but that didn't help her to feel better about the situation she was in now.

"I'm adept at fighting, but I'm not sure how well I'd be able to deal with Lantos again if he showed up." She scratched her arm gently and looked towards her father, still watching over the area. It may be a stretch to say she felt safer this way, but it was true enough. "Not like I need anyone or anything, I've just never been able to fight him that well."

"It is not a weakness to depend on others for assistance. I am sure the others would be more than willing to stand at your side should great danger come. As you would them, I suspect?"

"I would. I'm just not used to all of this yet. This is bigger than anything I've ever dealt with, and yet, I feel selfish."

"Why?"

She lowered her gaze from Varric and locked her forefingers together in her waist. Her thumbs pressed against each other and she took a deep breath. "Because, I didn't join the inquisition to stop a war between mages and Templars." She glanced at Giselle and raised her shoulders. "I didn't join just to seal the rifts all over the place, though I recognize I need to."

"You joined because you want to be close to your father."

She took the remark as a statement rather than a question, and it didn't have a derogatory tone to it as she expected it to. "I did." She held her breath, waiting for the woman to tell her if it was selfishness.

"If he had been at the Conclave like he should have been-if he had died-I think I would have ran…because at that point, I would have had no one." Giselle turned with the wind and looked up to the horizon with a gentle breath of air. Bianca opened her hand and looked at the mark on her hand with a lingering sadness. "I honestly don't think I was meant for this. I mean, haven't I been through enough crap in my life?"

"The Maker has a funny way of grooming us." She looked up to the woman. The corners of her lips fell into a frown and her brow furrowed. "The trials that we go through, the events that happen to us in the life we lead, these are what build us and make us stronger. You are not the first to wonder 'why me', you will not be the last, but understand that the things that you are put through…the struggle you will go through...you can learn from it and become stronger mentally and physically, or you can let it defeat you."

"Heh." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Running always seemed to work."

"But how long can you run and avoid conflict before it catches up with you?"

"I'm just used to it, you know." She walked over to a rock and sat down. She dropped her hands between her legs and looked down at a weed growing next to her feet. "I've been running all my life. Whether it was from my adoptive family or some other danger."

She tucked a strand of hair over her ear and slanted her eyes. "They can't hurt you if you don't stay still long enough, Mother Giselle. That's what I've always believed." Giselle moved her hands behind her back and smiled warmly, looking at her with silent eyes and open ears. "Do you still think I'm meant for this 'Herald' stuff?"

"What I believe does not matter." She leaned back, pushing her hands over her knees. Bianca stared at Giselle as though she had just spoken in some foreign language.

"What does that mean?"

Giselle sat beside her and placed a soft hand to the middle of her back. "It means, child, that what matters is what _you _believe. You must believe in yourself, nobody else can make you do so. Nobody can tell you whether you are meant for something or not, only you can decide that."

"They're calling me 'Andraste's chosen'." She scratched her head and groaned. Her eyes clenched and her teeth grit together. "They're treating me like I'm some holy thing because the Divine or Andraste, or whomever pushed me out of the fade. I'm not anything special, I don't _want_ to be anything special."

"Why is that, dear?"

She dropped her hands and shrugged. Her voice rose to a peak, then fell soft. "Because I'm not." She bit down on her lower lip and her eyes darted sideways. "I'm just some girl that was born a mistake-born because of someone's affair on her husband." She let out a loud scoff and threw her hand up into the air.

"I'm some woman that spent the first fifteen years of my life being beaten and spit at by the family that raised me, some nobody that spent a year running away until I found the Carta…and don't even get me started on that." Giselle leaned to the right and folded her hands on top of her raised right knee.

The woman's eyes held an inexplicable wisdom and calmness that when looking into them, soothed Bianca's raging nerves. She lowered her head with a sigh. "Honestly Mother Giselle, I was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. All I remember was trying to get the hell away from Lantos, and after that, nothing. I shouldn't even exist."

"Why?"

"Affair." She rolled her eyes. Either Giselle wasn't understanding, or there was something else to the woman's questioning. Bianca ran her hand across her forehead, then placed her palms on the stone as she leaned backwards.

"You have a world of pain hidden behind those blue eyes of yours." The muscles in her arms tensed and she looked slowly at Giselle. The woman closed her eyes and shook her head. "So it's understandable that you should focus on the negative of your past without seeing the potential for your future or even the good among the bad."

"What good can come of any of this?"

"First of all, look what that mark on your hand has given you?" She extended her hand before her, studying the glowing mark with disgust and anger. "Because you walked into the room of the Conclave that day, because you received that mark, you were taken in by Seeker Pentegast." Giselle looked at the hill where Varric was still standing and her lips curled into a smile.

"Though you may not wish to tell your father who you are, you have been given a chance to be with him." Bianca lowered her hand and looked up at Varric. Her lips pursed and her eyebrows rose. "You are also away from the life you once lived in the Carta, no more must you suffer the abuse of the one you call Lantos. You have your freedom now, your life, and it is all because of the 'mistake' of walking into that room."

Giselle rose up and brushed some dirt off her robe. "So remember…" Bianca peered down at her hand, frowning as she processed Mother Giselle's words. "It's good to think about the negative sometimes, if only to grow, but for every bad that exists there is a good that shall counter. The mark on your hand you may bear as either a curse or a blessing, or perhaps both."

She let out a heavy sigh and dropped her hand to the stone. "I…thank you." It wasn't hard to understand what the reverend mother was saying, but it wasn't easy to come by. This 'mark' came with a lot of responsibility that she wasn't sure she was ready to handle.

"There's Maker knows how many rifts I have to close with this thing, then _I'm_ having to work to help stop a war between the Mages and the Templars, and now-" She whisked her hand out into the air, chuckling madly. "Now I have to go talk to nobles and chantry leaders in Val Royeaux."

"Nobody said it would be easy, as I am sure you have learned through life that life itself is not easy."

"Yeah."

"Then is when you rely on those around you for support. You do not need to go through this alone. You do not have to bear the entire weight of the world on your shoulders."

"I'll try not to." She appreciated Mother Giselle's advice, and she would do the best she could to heed it. "How bad can things get? I mean, yeah this war is insane, but it can't get much worse than it is now…"

* * *

What do you think? Mother Giselle has some good words to say, would you agree? It's true Cadash has a heavy burden to bear, and she could look at that mark as a curse, but is Giselle right to say there's even some good to be had with that mark in itself?


	5. The War Counsel

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 5 (The War Counsel)

"We have received a letter that should be brought to your attention," Cassandra stated carefully as Bianca entered the room. In Cassandra's hands was a folded, pale sheet of paper that crinkled from the pressure of the woman's fingertips. "I am uncertain if you wish to read it."

Beside her were the three advisors. Leliana, standing tall and with her sharp eyes piercing past her red hair. The woman didn't look confused as Cullen and Josephine did, but then, Leliana appeared to be a strong woman with a constant stoic demeanor.

"Why are you nervous about it?" She extended her hand and turned her gaze into Cassandra's. She felt a pang of anxiety spread across her chest and shook it off as Cassandra handed her the page.

"It is a letter from the one you spoke of before. Lantos. I have not shared with the others the significance of that man; granted I know only a small part of it…" She knew enough as far as Bianca was concerned.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the page, fearful of what could be written and bracing herself for potential lies or threats.

The first thing she saw was a mention of Dasher's anger with her and blaming her for running off with some smuggled lyrium. She was taken aback by this claim and knew Dasher wouldn't simply accuse her of betraying him-this would only have happened if Lantos tried to convince him of her treachery.

The next thing she saw was Lantos claiming to be in hiding and stating that she was now hidden behind the muscle of the Inquisition. If he was truly in hiding, then Dasher was likely aggravated with him and not her.

"It's a bunch of made up lies, he's just letting me know he's still out there." She crumpled the paper aggressively in her hands. Lantos wanted to frighten her; he wanted to still hold power over her, to control her as he used to. "He can't stand that I'm out of reach now."

"How do you wish for us to respond?" Asked Commander Cullen. He looked like a giant in his armor, to the degree that he was near menacing. Just as Leliana stood like a strong oak, Cullen appeared as a mountain. Surely, her advisors could offer some semblance of protection if Lantos truly was a threat.

Then there was Josephine, who wasn't nearly as menacing as the other two.

"Well I don't know." She tossed the letter into a nearby waste basket. "What are my options?"

"We can't negotiate with carta," Josephine said while writing down on the strange tablet with a burning candle rising tall. The candle made Bianca nervous, she was certain Josephine might drop it by mistake and burn the place. "Orzammar probably has some ambassadors that can negotiate on our behalf, however."

"I say we send a message," Cullen declared while swiping his arm outwards through the air. "Show this carta clan of yours that we are not to be trifled with." She squinted and brought her hand up to her chin.

It was tempting to send soldiers down to one of the safehouses, but she didn't have anything against Dasher and wasn't sure if he was truly against her or if this was Lantos trying to start something.

"Dasher's a good guy." She lowered her hand and looked towards Leliana. The redheaded woman was still silent, her wrists were locked together behind her back and her narrow eyes were gazing studiously at her. "Leliana? I don't know if Dasher really is angry with me. He's the one that took me in, he taught me to fight. He was a mentor to me. Lantos is…" She held her breath momentarily and closed her eyes. "Lantos is the bad one. He's right up there with Dasher, close in leadership…"

If anything were to happen to Dasher, Lantos would take over the clan. Before the conclave, it would likely have been her.

Leliana's lips curled upwards and she leaned forward while Josephine and Cullen turned to her. "I can send some of my people in to infiltrate your former clan, they will see if this Dasher truly has it out for you, and then we can decide where to go from there. If he does, I am certain we can arrange for a payoff of some sort."

"That sounds great, thank you."

Anything was better than nothing, especially in an instance that would involve Lantos. The fact that he managed to slip into Haven without notice was startling, but then it was always possible he used someone else to deliver his letter.

She needed to move on, the more she let her mind focus on him, the more she felt herself going insane with worry. "Is there any other news? Someone mentioned heading to Val Royeaux. Do I still need to deal with that?"

"Yes," Cassandra replied, "I will go with you. I assume Varric will be in attendance as well, he doesn't seem to want to stay at the campsite." She didn't mind if Varric and Solas came along. She liked Solas, he seemed to be very wise. As for Varric, she wanted him to come along, so she had no argument there.

"You don't like Varric, Cassandra?" Cassandra huffed and started to say something when Leliana cut her off.

"She'll warm up to him eventually." Leliana flashed a smile and shrugged. Cassandra's nose wrinkled up and her eyebrows dipped in the middle.

"It isn't that I do not like him, I can only tolerate so much of that man at one time." Bianca pursed her lips and turned her head when she heard Leliana clear her throat. Cassandra let out a sigh and waved her hand through the air. "Nevertheless, I must prepare."

Once she was gone, Leliana walked towards the door and turned to face the others. Bianca looked into her oddly calm gaze and felt a soothing sense rush through her. "Don't worry too much about Cassandra's thoughts on Varric, deep down she likes the man enough."

"He brings a little extra character to the place," Cullen remarked with a swift chuckle. She raised an eyebrow and continued to study the woman before her. She honestly didn't know what to think about her-or about any of the three.

"So…" She trailed off and scratched the back of her neck. "Would it be alright if I asked a little bit about you three?" She dropped her hand and smiled hopefully. "I guess we're going to be acquainted and all."

"Of course." Leliana sat in a wooden chair and crossed her legs. "What would you like to know?" The woman's hands folded in her lap, and her relaxed posture suggested openness. "You know I'm the spymaster here. Cullen is our General, and Josephine is our diplomat."

"Okay." She looked at Cullen, admiring his strong stance behind the table. His arms were crossed and his blonde eyebrows were pushing up his forehead. Beside him, Josephine was busy carefully setting her pad down on the table. "Um, I guess I'll start with you, Leliana…"

She didn't need to ask what a spymaster did, she knew well enough what a spy was. It meant she could find out almost anything she wanted about nearly anyone; even her.

This did strike a curious note, making her wonder how much the woman might know about her.

"I heard you were involved in the Blight ten years ago. I don't know much about the story." Leliana's lips slid into a smile and she responded with a careful nod.

"I was with the Warden that ended the blight." From what she did know, the Warden was a human noble, and allegedly he survived the blight. "We fought together, and we were very much in love."

"Where is he now?"

"Gone." Leliana's smile faded and she breathed in deep. "We're still 'together', yes, but it has been some time since I have seen him. He is on his own journey, and I await his return."

"How long are you going to just wait?"

"As long as it takes."

It wasn't her place to disagree, and she wouldn't, but she didn't think it was right for someone to make their lover wait without question when there was no telling when they would return.

The devotion was admirable, still. "I don't think I'd have the strength to do that. To wait for someone and never really know when they're going to be back."

"It isn't easy, but when you love someone enough, you're willing to do whatever it takes." Leliana's smile returned and her right hand lifted away from her lap. "Perhaps you will learn that one day, but now I sound like Wynne."

"Wynne?" Her nose wrinkled and she leaned forward. "Who is that?" The spymaster leaned her head back and laughed as though recalling some fond, but ancient memory.

"Oh she was like a grandmother to us back then, always giving us encouragement and words of wisdom." Leliana bowed her head, and a sadness came over her. "She has passed on, but she will never be forgotten."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Leliana cleared her throat and glanced back at her. "Tell me, you've been on the surface most of your life, I presume." The woman rubbed her chin and squinted her eyes contemplatively. "Have you ever happened to run across…no, I don't suppose you would have."

"The last ten years of my life have been chaotic at best-or the last twenty really." She furrowed her brow and folded her arms across her chest. "When I was with the Cadash family, they kept me in the house most times. When I got away from them and met up with Dasher's clan, I stayed with them at all times, being made to tag along with Lantos. Usually his request."

"So this is really your first time being on your own?" Josephine asked. She jerked her head back and blinked twice. She hadn't thought about it much, but this was her first real taste of freedom. Even when she ran away from the Cadash house, she could still feel them trying to control her in some way. Or at least, they still ruled her thoughts; she was tempted to go back to that place before she met Dasher's clan.

"I guess if you had to put it that way, sure." She usually had a leash wrapped around her throat, and whether it was Lady Cadash or Lantos, she'd never known what it was like to not be yanked back when she was getting too far for their comfort.

"Well then with us, you are free to do as you wish." She laughed nervously and shook her head. "We are glad to have you."

"Because the mark on my hand can seal rifts?"

"Yes," Cullen stated, "But not just that." He uncrossed his arms and walked around the table. "Know that on one hand we're your advisors during this Mage and Templar war, but on the other hand, we're here to support you as friends if you need us."

"I appreciate that." She leaned sideways against the nearby wall and looked to the door. It was open an inch, and there was movement outside, but she paid little mind to it. "What about you, Commander?"

"Aside from my duties as a Templar, I haven't done much else that would be deemed noteworthy." Cullen turned his eyes to the door and smiled. "I did know the Champion of Kirkwall. You mentioned having read some of Varric's books, and that was inspired by Thane Hawke. I knew him will."

Her eyes lit up with intrigue. She knew the story of the Champion almost by heart. It was Varric's most recent novel and had been given to her as a gift by Dasher. "You knew the Champion? You were the Knight-Captain, right?"

"That is correct." He put his hand to his chest and smirked with pride. "I helped save that town from Knight-Commander Meredith." Leliana leaned towards her and spoke with a whisper.

"It isn't like Cullen to boast, especially not about that. He must be having an off day." Cullen narrowed his eyes and Bianca laughed.

"Dasher used to tell me, there are times when people are willing to give snippets about themselves."

Cullen swept his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "I only thought I might state for record having met and known the Champion of Kirkwall for a time."

"Oh hush," Josephine said while nudging his armor. "We like you anyway. It's just nice, and rare, to see a side of you that isn't terribly serious."

"Yes, well…" He returned to the table and started grumbling. "Don't get used to that."

There was a knock at the door, then it was pushed open. Bianca looked and saw Varric entering cautiously. "Cassandra told me to let everyone know, we're ready to start for Val Royeaux." The advisors nodded and Bianca straightened posture. She didn't want to go right at the moment, but she was ready to leave nonetheless.

Josephine picked up her tablet. "Oh Bianca, do come back with some good news." Bianca flashed a smile and waved as she left the room. She would certainly try, but she didn't feel this was going to end up as positive as she hoped.

* * *

Any thoughts here?


	6. Gathering of Aid

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Alright so at this point we will begin to divert a little bit. The game's storyline serves as the spine, the guideline and Corypheus is going to be a big issue but bear in mind that we will be focusing on Varric and Cadash. In other words this is one of the last times we're going to see the events of the game in action. A lot of the game's main story takes great precedence however (Such as the Winter Palace, that will provide a _major_ moment towards the plot of this story). The parts of the game that show up in this story must be plot-critical to the path of Cadash and Varric. Read on and enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6 (Gathering of Aid)

The town of Val Royeaux was large and filled with overwhelming chatter and people who were insistent on wearing strange masks. "So this is Val Royeaux?" Bianca followed Varric into town and looked over her shoulder as Cassandra and Solas followed suit. "These are the people that supposedly hate me?"

"That would be the Chantry," Solas replied. She turned her gaze back to the crowd they were approaching. The people of Val Royeaux had amassed before a stage with a Chantry Mother speaking about the heresy of the 'Herald of Andraste'. "The Chantry sees you as a problem as people are claiming you to be a prophet of Andraste."

"I'm not even trying to appear holy. I'm not holy!"

"Well that doesn't seem to matter," Varric responded amid a quiet mutter. His eyes were darting about the Orlesian nobles that were watching them. Each reacted with gasps or cries of anguish. "I can't stand Orlesians."

Cassandra quickened her step, approaching Varric along the side. "What about Josephine?"

"I'll make a few exceptions to my rule." His eyes moved up to the speaker on the stage and he drew a heavy sigh. "Although, Chantry sisters and mothers may be worse." He turned his head away from Cassandra's peering eyes and smirked playfully at Bianca. "Again, a few exceptions, however annoying Seeker may be."

Bianca chuckled and Cassandra growled at him. "I heard that." She heard the speaker call her out-with the title of Herald. She accused or of heresy and proceeded to denounce her publicly.

Bile swirled about her stomach as she approached the stage. "I never said I was some holy icon." The woman's lingering gaze felt like poison. A cold sweat came over her as the woman's glare sent a shiver down her spine.

In her place she pictured Amelia Cadash giving her the same hateful look that she grew up seeing every day. She braced herself, as if expecting this woman on stage to throw something at her or strike her as Amelia had done when she was a child.

Her heart started to sink and she mentally pushed away the image of the mother. "I'm not trying to become some holy icon, I'm just helping the Inquisition put a stop to this war. Why won't you focus on that?"

Before the lady could respond, a group of Templars walked towards the stage. Cassandra put her hand to Bianca's shoulder, it was tense and heavy. "That's Lord Seeker Lucius," Cassandra whispered. Then without warning, Lucius punched the woman to the ground. Bianca's eyes grew as several onlookers cried out in shock.

Her hands tightened and tiny veins bulged from the surface. She stared at the woman and her nostrils flared as a new image appeared. Rather than seeing Lucius, she saw herself on the ground with Lantos standing above her, his fist ready to come down if she didn't comply.

"The Chantry has abandoned the order," Lucius said with a sneer. "We will march."

"Why would you do hit a defenseless woman?" Her voice was tense and wavered with pain. Lucius raised an eyebrow and scoffed once she raised her voice to him. "A man that would strike a defenseless woman is nothing but a coward."

"She should be lucky I didn't use my sword." Her teeth clenched and she started to step forward, stopping only when Cassandra's grip on her shoulder tightened.

"Relax," Cassandra whispered, "We just want to talk to him. Do not lash out."

"But-" She hesitated and turned her eyes to Solas, curious what his thoughts on the matter were. He wasn't reacting in any way, where Varric and Cassandra were both tense. Solas looked at her with a calming smile and raised his hand.

"We can all agree the strike was wrong, but we've come here to make peace. Not start a fight."

Her eyes closed and she unclenched her fists. Her shoulders sank and a rush of air blew from her lips. "Fine." She opened her eyes and moved forward, holding contact with the Lord Seeker's gaze. "Why are you here?"

Lucius sneered in response, then promptly explained his presence. They were here to take a stand and let it be known that the Templar order was severing their ties from the chantry.

"Then help us try and resolve this war peacefully."

"We have no desire to negotiate at this time." Without further word, the man signaled the Templars in his presence to leave, and took off. Bianca relaxed for a moment, then hurried to help the mother to her feet.

Even though she didn't agree with the woman, she sympathized with her. Lucius wasn't on her good side for the moment, but judging by the look of confusion on Cassandra's face, she had to wonder if she was seeing the man as he truly was.

Varric grunted and turned towards Cassandra. "Either Lucius is having a really bad day, or that man is oddly violent for a position that should be a peaceful one."

"I'm as confused as you are," replied the baffled seeker. Cassandra crossed her arms and let out a sigh of defeat. "I had hoped he might be able to see reason amid the chaos. It appears I was wrong."

As she approached Cassandra, the familiar sound of a bowstring twanging stopped her in her tracks. Her pupils dilated as an arrow flew past her and landed on the ground. Varric craned his neck to look past her while Cassandra grabbed the arrow.

"There's a message attached," she announced. Bianca shook herself and breathed deeply as the woman read the note. "From the 'Friends of Red Jenny', someone wishes to meet with us." Her heartbeat's rapid pulse began to feel as though she were being beat as a drum, with the vibrations shooting to every corner of her body.

"Just that?" She clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "Just this _Red Jenny_ group?" As she understood from what she heard people in her clan mentioning, Red Jenny was a group of people that went out of their way to protect children; or something to that extent. "I'm not all that familiar with them."

"They are an organization of pranksters," Varric responded, "Or close to it. People in the merchant's guild talk endlessly about how they lose their products thanks to these _Friends_."

"We may as well see what they want from us."

Cassandra raised the note up and frowned at the group. "This note directs us to follow a series of clues before we're to know the location." Varric smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Typical." Cassandra and Solas walked on. Varric turned to her, looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?" The tension in her body subsided, but her heart was still pounding erratically.

"I'll be fine." She tried to smile for him, hoping it would ease the concern and skepticism in his eyes. "Don't worry about me, let's go."

"Okay." Solas called out to them and Varric turned partially. The man was standing beside a messenger nearby that was signaling to them. "Let's see what this guy wants…"

Their dealings in Val Royeaux were finished when they ran into the Grand Enchanter Fiona, the leader of the Mage Rebellion that started the war. Fiona invited them to Redcliffe Village just outside the Hinterlands.

After that, they responded to the two other invitations. Lady Vivienne, the First Enchanter of the circle in Montsimmard, and Sera was a member of _Red Jenny_. Bianca thought Vivienne was strange, but there was a quality the girl liked about the woman.

Then there was Sera. She was a city elf that was oddly proficient with her archery. She was young, perhaps a year or two younger than Bianca was, and appeared to have a startling view of the world around her.

Their next stop was to follow up on a lead in the Hinterlands that Leliana had regarding the Grey Wardens. As Grey Wardens had begun to disappear without reason, Leliana wanted them to track this one down.

Warden Blackwall. He had a scruffy black beard and dark hair that was slicked back. When they approached him, he was training a group of recruits. They hung back for a moment, waiting for him to finish talking.

"He's kind of handsome," she heard Cassandra say. Bianca shrugged, she didn't exactly care for people with beards.

"Sure, but I don't like beards on men."

Varric squinted his eyes and turned his head to the two. "He's too old anyway. Look at the guy, he looks old enough to be your father." Cassandra started to laugh and Solas smirked.

Seeing an opportunity to see how far she could push without revealing too much, she flashed a grin and twisted towards Varric. "Well if I _were_ into someone like that guy there, would it be wrong?" Varric puffed his chest up and shook his head while grumbling under his breath.

"Why ask him?" Cassandra inquired. She put a finger to her lips and the woman grew quiet.

Varric crossed his arms and swayed to the right. "I can't say it would be wrong, except the guy has got to be way too damned old for you."

"I see," Solas laughed, "You act just like an overly protective father." Bianca and Varric fell silent. She turned away to keep from showing them any reacting emotion to Solas's statement.

Varric dropped his arms and drew in a heavy breath. "Shut it, Solas." Solas jerked his head back. Bianca cleared her throat and faced the group, but said nothing as Varric started to walk off.

"It was a joke, but inappropriate? I should apologize."

Cassandra pat Solas on the shoulder and started moving for Blackwall. "He'll be fine, don't worry about it. We have things to deal with here." Bianca kept watch on Varric, concerned with the man's reaction.

Varric took a seat on a rock and moved his crossbow into his lap. She watched him remove a rag from one of his pockets and proceed to run it across the bow. "Maybe he has a kid," she suggested under her breath. "Or had one." She was hinting intentionally, but unsure why she wanted Solas to have any inclination of this matter. "Maybe a daughter?"

Solas looked at her for some time. His mouth twisted into a frown and his eyes drifted towards Varric. "I did not think he had any family, he has never spoken of any. Go help Cassandra, I must speak with Varric."

Her lips pursed and she closed her hands. "What about?"

"I was simply making a joke, it is clear it upset him, so I wish to apologize." +The fact that it upset Varric in any way was a surprise. Bianca wondered for a moment if it meant that Varric was aware she was his daughter, or at the very least, aware that he _had_ a kid out there.

The woman that raised her would often say her father didn't know about her, but it was possible for that to be a lie.

Bianca was tempted to go with Solas, but Cassandra was right, they had to deal with this Warden first. As she approached Blackwall and Cassandra, she turned her head to see Varric's watchful gaze on her. A smile curled on her lips and a sense of calm took her.

"That does not bother you?" Cassandra asked. She glanced back and up at the woman. "Varric may not be your father, but he acts like you are his child. While you were unconscious those three days, he was always checking on you and asking Solas how your process was."

"I can't say it bothers me, no."

"Why?"

"I've never had a good father figure in my life, Cassandra." As far as Cassandra knew, Varric didn't have children. "I'm the only other dwarf here, and Solas just said Varric talks like he doesn't have family, so maybe he just looks at me like a kid he never had? I don't know."

"I suppose that is conceivable."

She hoped that was the case as well. It felt better to think of it like that rather than to think he may have willingly given her up because he didn't want her.

Cassandra fell back a bit and whispered to her, raising her eyebrows with earnest. "So, you asked Varric what would be wrong if you did think this warden was attractive. Do you think that?"

"No, I just wanted to see what Varric would say…"

"Really? Curious."

"Let's move on." She cleared her throat and walked faster towards Blackwall. She honestly didn't find the man attractive, or 'handsome' as Cassandra said. She didn't like guys with full beards, they reminded her too much of the men in her clan.

Not to mention, Blackwall had the same hair color as Lantos, and a similar beard. The only difference was Blackwall's beard was larger and grown out while Lantos just had a beard with less than an inch of growth. Parted at the chin, to the extent Bianca was sure if he grew it out, it would look just like this warden.

"Beards make me nauseous." The upper left corner of her lip twitched and her brow furrowed. She spoke loud and plain once she reached the warden. "Warden Blackwall." The man turned and his eyes dropped towards hers.

Behind him Varric and Solas made their approach. Solas had his hand on Varric's back, and Varric was attempting to shrug him off.

"Do you need something?" Blackwall asked. "How is it you know who I am?"

"The Inquisition has a few questions for you." The sooner they were done here, the better. Once they were back at Haven, she planned on taking to her cabin and getting some sleep. "We need to know about the disappearance of the Grey Wardens, and were wondering if you knew anything about that."

"I cannot say that I do." He crossed his arms and closed his eyebrows together. "If the wardens have gone missing, they must have a reason."

Their conversation went on for several minutes, but nothing of value had been said. Frustrated and exhausted, she was about to leave when he asked to join the cause. He could at least offer some aid in figuring out why the Wardens had gone missing, so she accepted his offer of assistance.

"The more help we can get, the better." Bianca leaned up against a tree and looked towards the others. "Maybe we should head to the Storm Coast now…I was approached by a soldier earlier that said there was a Qunari that was interested in offering his assistance to the Inquisition as well."

* * *

So what are your thoughts upon reading this? Now, I would have had Bull appear in this chapter as well to get all the companions in her (By the way we're not going to be focusing in-depth on the lives of every companion, that would just be too much), but Bull will appear next chapter. Some very important stuff happens there, and we also will see Lantos again.


	7. The Storm Brews

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 7 (The Storm Rolls In)

The Storm Coast made it quite easy to see where it received its name. The grey clouds covered the skies and a violent wind caused an endless rain to pelt the group as they made their way towards the shoreline.

In the distance they heard a terrible roar that struck her with a sense of fear. "Only been here a few minutes, and I already hate this place." Bianca walked close to Varric as an reflexive impulse. Cassandra walked behind them, complaining about the rain drenching her.

For Bianca, the rain was the least of her worries. The day didn't feel like it was turning out pleasantly, and the storm on the coast seemed to match the mixed emotions she felt upon arriving here. Something was going to go wrong, she was sure of it, but she didn't know what. "Of all the place this Iron Bull asked us to meet him, why here?"

"I can think of worse places," Varric muttered. "Have you ever been to the Fallow Mire?" She paused and watched him closely. "Now there's a town plagued by death. I've only been through there once, and that was just when I was passing through with some people in the merchant's guild trying to find something to salvage from the muck."

"I take it was a bad experience?"

"A marsh, diseased water wherever you step, and constant dark clouds? Yeah, I don't care to go back there again anytime soon. It makes this place look like heaven."

"Yeah, well how quickly can this place turn to hell?" She didn't want to find out, either. All she wanted was to get Iron Bull and leave, that was it. Furthering the deepening sickness in her gut was the feeling like she was being watched, but there didn't appear to be anyone else near them.

"Just stay close." Varric's shoulders rose as he took a slow, calming breath. "I have a bad feeling about this place. Something's going to go wrong, I just know it."

"Trouble seems to follow you about," Solas commented with a flat tone. Varric let out one chuckle and a rush of air flew from his lips.

"I swear the universe out there has something against me. I've come to learn when it feels like something's going to happen, something happens. I'd like to be wrong for a change."

"You control how bad things get in your life, Varric. You have a wisdom about it, you should know that the choices you make affect what happens in your life."

"Except that which is out of your control."

"There is nothing that is out of your control unless you allow it to be."

Varric ground his teeth together and responded with a single grunt of frustration. "I believe I'm done with this conversation." A smile spread across Solas's face and his eyebrows rose.

"You see, you even have control of whether or not a simple discussion ends."

"What I really want is to shoot something with my crossbow…keep it up, and you're the target."

"Fair enough."

"It's like that for me too," Bianca said. She wanted to try and help him to relax, hoping that it might help her to calm down as well. It was nice to know she wasn't alone in the foul mood this place was giving her. "Anytime it feels like things could go from bad to worse, it usually gets worse." Varric's tension faded and he chuckled.

"We just have bad luck then, don't we?" Like father, like daughter, she thought. Bianca almost said it, but held her tongue and tried to comfort him with a smile. Varric smiled back and removed the crossbow from his back. "Well, like I said, stay close. Who knows what we might run into here."

Moving closer to the coast they heard the sounds of a struggle. Bianca's pulse quickened when she heard someone shout about an unexpected attack. "Crap." She drew her sword and ran ahead, hoping to quell the fighting. Varric was quick on her heels.

In the distance she saw a large, well-built Qunari swinging a battle axe against a group of Venatori. His horns took the shape of a bull's horns, making it obvious where he got his name from.

The man pushed one of the enemy away and turned his attention to Bianca and the others. "It's about time you got here," Bull shouted, "These guys jumped us out of nowhere. We could use some assistance."

"Did they know you would be here?"

"No, we only sent word to you."

They may have been camping there, thinking this was a good secluded place to speak to the Inquisition without interference. That said, she couldn't figure out how the Venatori would have known about the location. Especially since the soldier she met, Krem, told her they were trying to camp away from enemy grounds.

"Somebody led them here," she whispered. "Someone knew they were going to be here…"

Varric pointed his crossbow at one of the enemies charging them and his eyes sharpened on the man. "Then we help them." She rushed into the fray, swinging her blade in front of her to deflect an oncoming attack.

There were a large number of enemy opponents, enough to catch her off guard. She was beginning to get used to fighting, after having to deal with the Mages and Templars at the Hinterlands. Even still, this was too much, and the stench of blood was still difficult to overcome.

Bianca kept her back away from the enemy, making sure she was fighting on the outside of the fray rather than having them all surrounding her. As she was never proficient with a shield, she was always focused on what was in front of her and making sure she had enough room to keep her guard up.

She clenched her teeth and stepped back as a enemy appeared in front of her and lashed out with a flurry of strikes. Remembering Dasher's words, she focused on swinging her blade to deflect them.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and with a shout she pushed the foe back, then slashed at him. The blade cut through the enemy's leather armor to her surprise, and she watched with widening eyes as the enemy collapsed onto the ground.

Some died in the Hinterlands before, but this was the first time she was seeing in depth the body of someone who died at her hands, and it was terrible.

Her right hand trembled over her mouth as she watched a river of blood slide down the gravel. Just before it touched her feet, she took another step back, to avoid letting the stream cut onto her armor.

_"Some things can't be avoided."_ Mother Giselle's words rang in her mind a million times over, but they were no comfort to the sickening sensation in her gut. The killing seemed senseless, even if they were the enemy.

Dasher always told her to remember that a blade should never be raised against someone without due cause. A sword was only for defense and protection.

Who were they protecting here? Iron Bull? The Qunari could clearly defend himself, even outnumbered as he was.

Her mentor would often say he hoped she never had to take someone's life, that she was too young to do that, but here she was with people slain at her feet. These people had lives, they had families-why should they lose theirs just because she had none?

She closed her eyes and loosened up the muscles in her body. It was important for her to mentally distance herself from the fight somehow, or at the very least, ignore the fact that several people were going to die here.

A familiar voice broke her concentration, causing her to tense. "You think they're all bad?" Her eyes flew open and scanned the area before her. "You're weak. Think I don't know you?"

A sharp pain struck her lower back, pushing her forward. She twisted around to see an armored figure dashing off. At first glance, she thought it was one of the group that ambushed Bull, so she chased after him.

By the time she got closer, she saw the rogue was wearing a different armor. This armor was jet black and had two long daggers attached to the back. The daggers were familiar to her.

They resembled the fangs of a dragon, and the handles were blood red. The attacker wore no helmet, so she was able to see the familiar slicked back, dark hair. It was in the same style as Blackwall's hair, but shorter; yet longer than Cullen's.

"No." Her pupils dilated and her mouth fell open as the attacker started to turn his head. His mouth twisted into a vicious smirk, and his dark, sharpened glare froze her on the spot.

Bianca stopped running, unable to move any further. The man slipped away into stealth, concealing himself in the environment. "I-I should go back to the others." Her breathing shook with fear and her body grew sticky from the sweat forming around her neck and on her brow.

"Lantos?" There was a large rock in front of her, one that someone would have to climb onto if they wanted to climb the mountain behind it. On either side of her were thick grassy areas.

She positioned her sword in front of her and moved her left hand over her right, tightening her grip on the handle.

Before she could act or make a move, she was shoved into the rock. Her head crashed against the stone, and a dull ache shot through her. Bianca cried out as Lantos grabbed her right wrist and twisted it until she dropped the blade to her feet.

He then pulled her wrists behind her back and clamped them together with his right hand, then slid his left leg around her legs so she couldn't kick him. His left hand slapped the stone in front of her face, causing her to flinch.

"Miss me, babe?" She ground her teeth together and clenched her fists as he pushed all of his waist against her, locking her against the stone. "Don't scream. You scream, you die sooner."

His words drew a startled gasp from her lips and she looked into his eyes, holding back a scream when she saw how bloodshot they were. "No…This isn't right. This isn't you, Lantos!"

His face was pale and covered in sweat, his pupils were dilated and his lips were peeling back to reveal grinding teeth. His usually slicked back hair had fallen before his face, giving a menacing appearance that was all too familiar to him.

It was the reaction to the blood that Aaron and the Carta had force-fed him. "They're making you drink that shit, still? Is that it?"

"What do you care, bitch?" His voice was rough and coarse, as though he'd been chewing on rocks for the past several days. "You left me, and you thought you could just do that?"

Bianca struggled to move out from beneath him, groaning as she pushed against him. "What do you want?" She strained her voice and felt the muscles in her arms beginning to go limp. It was like trying to push a boulder; he was not budging.

Lantos turned his head to the right and raised a finger towards her head. "To see you." He slicked a strand of hair from her face and wrapped his lips into a thin smile. "I've missed you."

She rolled her eyes skyward and whimpered at the feeling of warm blood sliding down the side of her face from where her cheek was rubbing against the jagged rock. "L-Lantos, you're crushing me." Lantos growled and his hot breath hit her skin like fire, burning at her.

Her heartbeat accelerated as the airflow to her lungs started to cut off. He was killing her, and he likely didn't realize it. "Y-You need to get away from them Lantos. Get the fuck away from the Carta. Please. Even if I never see you again, and I don't want to see you again…"

He frowned and tilted his head. For a moment he loosened his grip on her and pulled his body away from hers. She gasped in suddenly, and her lungs swelled up with air. "Oh god," she said in a single breath.

"I see you still have trouble watching your back, Bianca. That's not good in a fight. Does anyone know about that glaring weakness of yours, sweetheart?"

She turned her head sideways and her fingers scraped against the rock, letting the jagged edges cut into them. "What do you want? Just tell me what you want!"

He pressed himself against her once more and her eyes started to bulge as he moved his head closer to her. "What do you think? Maybe you can run away to your little Inquisition, hiding away as you are."

"P-Please." She began to sob as she felt herself drifting into consciousness. You don't know what you're doing. Lantos, listen to me. God please." This wasn't who he was; this was his nightmare.

"I just want you to know, no matter what you do, I will always find you."

"Lantos. Do you want me dead?" Her eyes darted to his hand and she focused on watching as it slid down the wet rock. His veins were bulging from the bloodied, trembling surface. "What about Dasher? What would he think, Lantos? I know you were lying…that letter you sent…" As long as she kept him talking, she could buy time to plan an escape from his hold.

"Yeah I lied. He thinks you're dead." Her heart sank and her eyes flew into his as a whimper escaped her lips. His gaze softened and the corners of his mouth dipped down. "It was all I could think to tell him. Better he thinks you're dead than to think you don't wish to come back. He's been doing nothing but grieving."

"So what? You want to kill me to make sure he knows it?"

"What?" Lantos threw his head back with a violent laugh and quickly shook it. "No. I don't want you dead." He sniffed and looked down her body with a disheartened sigh. "This is just the only way I can see you again. I've missed you."

"You're not even you right now. You're sick. You need to get away from the Carta." Her vision blurred and every muscle in her body was pulsing and throbbing as though they were to fall away from her at any moment.

"I wanted to remind you of your weaknesses in a fight as well." Her lungs were burning and she couldn't speak much for lack of air. Bianca started to gasp with rapid succession, trying to take in whatever bit of air that she could. "You need to watch out for those. Like your back, if someone hits you in the back, it's an easy win…"

"L-Lantos you're hurting me." She pushed her body upwards in an attempt to move to a pocket of air. He removed his hand from her and pulled back, allowing a rush of air back into her shriveled lungs. Her eyes grew wide and tears poured down her cheeks. "Lan…"

"I want you back."

"And you think this is how to do that? You've gone insane!"

"Maybe."

With a gasp, she shut her eyes and tried to move her arms, wrapping them weakly around his body. He raised an eyebrow and peered down at them as she dropped her head onto his chest and started to let herself go limp. She thought maybe this would help him to see how close to killing her that he was, to get him to back off.

"Lantos, I didn't come here alone you know."

"I know that. I arranged the fucking ambush." Her eyes shot open and he smirked with devilish pride. "I've been following you and your group. I knew that damn Qunari was hiding out here, and I'm the one that tipped off a few Venatori agents about it."

"W-Why?"

"All for you." He groomed back her hair and huffed. "I wanted to distract them, so I could get some time alone with you. To distract your father…you know he's been watching you like a hawk since you pointed me out that first day."

The memory of the dwarf standing among the lined crowd flashed before her and she felt her stomach knotting up. "That was you? Oh god." She tried to move, groaning softly as he shifted his body to the side.

"Something else to let you know? Whatever mage, Templar, Venatori or demon is out there…maybe even the purest evil that you can find…" Her lips trembled and she raised her eyes to his. They were soft and his eyebrows were pulled together, pushing up a wrinkle between them. "There's something out there, someone out there, more dangerous to you than you realize. More dangerous than any mage, more lethal than any Templar, and she has nothing but the purest hate in her heart _for you_."

She ground her teeth and put her hands to his chest. "Fuck you, Lantos." He hummed for a moment and shrugged.

"It's a tempting offer, I have missed those tender moments we've shared…"

She pulled her head back and caught a glimpse of movement behind him. "She wasn't offering." Her eyes enlarged and a clicking noise echoed into the air, followed by a loud whoosh. She winced as Lantos's body flinched and jerked into hers. The sound of ripping flesh burned her ears and drew her eyes to his left hand, where debris from the rock was settling.

The wind blew the debris away and she could see the arrowhead digging halfway into the side of his hand. Blood was pumping profusely from the wound and sliding along his arm. "Son of bitch," Lantos shouted. Bianca glanced past him to see Varric aiming his bow at the man.

Lantos's chest was heaving and his lips twisted into a vicious snarl. "You've got a couple options," Varric said with a growl. "I would consider them carefully if I were you, because this next shot isn't going to miss anything vital."

Bianca was overcome with relief, though she wasn't out of danger yet. Varric's right foot slid forward and he carefully aimed to Lantos's head. "Get away from her now. That's option one. Option two and three, you get an arrow to the head. The question now, that I'll ask Bianca is, which head is preferred?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Bianca said to Lantos. Lantos flared his nostrils and loosened his grasp on her wrists.

"This isn't over," Lantos growled. He folded his hand around the arrow and shouted as he tore it from his hand and the rock. "This isn't over by a long shot."

He took a step back and clutched his left wrist with his right hand. Bianca started to turn. Tightness spread across her chest, and her muscles were sore. She lifted her eyes into his and held her breath.

When she heard the sound of heavy, fast paced footsteps, she furrowed her brow and turned her head. Lantos looked as well, but had minimal time to act before Cassandra smashed into him with her shield.

He was thrown off his feet and rolled across the ground. Bianca watched Solas approach from behind Cassandra, swinging his staff through the air. A block of ice shot out and struck Lantos in the chest, shattering upon impact.

Bianca moved her hand up to her chest and stumbled over to Cassandra and Solas, standing behind them. Her knees were beginning to give out, and her complexion had grown remarkably pale.

"He's responsible for the ambush," she said plainly. Lantos lay on his back and pushed himself up, resting his forearms on the ground and wincing with pain. "Lantos told the Venatori that a Quinari was out here. He set up the attack to distract everyone, so that he could get me by myself."

"Well then." Varric moved in front of Cassandra and Solas, then turned the crossbow onto him. "So you're Lantos, huh? Bianca has told us a little about you. Little, but just enough to get to know who you are and what you've done to her."

Lantos's chest expanded out and his lips pulled away, revealing his bared teeth. "You're him, eh?" Lantos rose to his feet and pressed his left hand against his armor, then pressed his right hand over it. His left eye was swollen shut and blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Next time I'll remember to bring some heavy gloves and a helmet."

He looked into Bianca's eyes and flashed a smirk. "I'll be around. Don't forget it…"

A shadow fell over them and Lantos's expression changed to that of sheer horror. When she looked up, she saw Iron Bull leaping over them with his battle axe raised high.

There was a rock behind them, so he must have leapt off of the stone. Lantos jumped back in time to avoid having either his head lopped off or Bull crushing him beneath his weight.

"So that fight was your fault, huh?" Bull threw his head back and drew out a long exhale. "Then I'm going to enjoy cutting into you."

"Shit." With that, Lantos turned on his heel and took off. Bull straightened himself and Solas raised his staff.

"I could freeze him on the spot so we can take him in for the people at the Inquisition to deal with him."

"No," Bianca replied, "Just let him go." She didn't want to mess with him any further. "If he becomes an issue, deal with him then. Just, right now I…" She wrapped her arm over her stomach and tried to step forward.

Part of her wanted him to live, she wanted him to get help and get away from the Carta as she had. She was terrified that it was too late, and that Lantos was long gone.

_"How was I ever in love with him?"_

She almost fell over in the process, still in great pain from his attack. Varric rushed over to catch her, putting an arm around her waist and lifting her left arm around her shoulders. "I got you," he said softly. "Let's get you to camp. Scout Harding can have some people send transportation."

"I'll be okay…"

Solas turned towards her and started to touch the wound on her forehead. She pulled her head away and Varric bared his teeth at Solas. The elf lowered his hand with a sigh. "Bianca, it may be best to get that looked at by the healer," Solas responded.

"Agreed." Cassandra sheathed her sword and attached her shied to the shield holder on the back of her armor. "The sooner we can have you looked at and back to Haven, the better."

"I just need some rest, that's all." She was overwhelmed by their actions. As much as she appreciated them looking out for her, she wasn't used to it. She didn't want them to baby her or think she was weak, the only reason Lantos managed to get to her was because she hadn't been paying attention. She scolded herself for it, but she didn't want to let them know.

"You can rest at the camp," Bull replied, "My men know how to make some kickass stew. It'll get you back on your feet in no time." She smiled at him and felt her eyes welling up with tears. Bull lowered his hand from his chest and raised his eyebrows. "I'll have my guys keep a lookout just in case that asshole decides to come back."

"No, I don't think he will. Not after all that." Lantos was smart, not foolish. Although the fact that he attacked her there with the group around cast some doubt on that. "Thank you."

* * *

Here's chapter 7, perhaps it would be a good idea for Lantos to get away from the Carta.


	8. A Good Friend

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (A Good Friend)

Solas entered her cabin, knocking on the door to make sure she heard him. Bianca was beneath the covers with bandage wrapped around her wrist and her head. Every inch of her body still ached, surprisingly so. "You should hear what's going on with Harritt," Solas commented.

Harritt was the blacksmith of Haven, he made her armor and took apart the blade she found and forged it into something stronger. "He seemed really upset when we got back." She laid her arms over the blanket and sat upright against the headboard. "I hope he isn't still blaming himself."

Considering the armor she had failed to protect her against Lantos, she knew she was going to need something stronger and more secure. "No, but Varric is demanding he make stronger armor for you." She curled her lips up and closed her eyes. "He's giving Harritt a hard time. I do believe he's overseeing the crafting process and making certain the best material possible goes into the creation."

"Tell Varric I appreciate his concern, but it isn't needed." Solas tilted his head and stared at her. She dropped her gaze and gently swept her thumb across the surface of her hand. "I don't want him worrying about me."

"That's a tall order, I think." Solas sat on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've just been body-slammed and compressed against a rock, Solas." She wasn't typically blunt, but she was in far too much pain to care about being polite. Bianca took a breath and brushed her fingers along her forehead, wincing as they brushed across the forehead wound. "I'm sorry Solas, I'm not trying to be difficult, I just-"

"It is understood. You've been through a rough time. Nobody here understands the history between you and Lantos, but we understand there's something there…no one expects you to be without emotion."

"Emotion? I don't know what to feel." Part of her was angry, furious with not only Lantos but with herself. She chastised herself for not being careful, scolded herself for leaving the group. "I shouldn't have left the group." Her hands closed into tight fists and her eyes slanted. "I got hit from behind and chased after the person, I shouldn't have reacted-"

"You need not to blame yourself. None of us had any way of knowing what would happen out there, and neither did you."

"I'm stronger than this, Solas. I'm not weak, stuff like this doesn't happen to me. I saw him, I recognized him in the last minute. I should have just turned and gone back to the group." When she looked up, she spotted Cassandra in the doorway, leaning her right shoulder against the frame.

"Cassandra?"

"I came to check on you…" Cassandra stepped forward and looked to Solas. The man said his farewell and made a remark about going to talk to Varric so Harritt could work on the armor without being micromanaged.

"Did someone say you were weak, Bianca?" Cassandra spoke softly and sat down beside her. "Just because one enemy caught you off guard doesn't mean you're weak." Bianca crossed her arms and turned her head away as moisture formed beneath her eyelids.

"It shouldn't have happened. Even before Lantos, I got sick to my stomach looking at one of the dead venatori. I can't enjoy that, I'm not a killer."

"None of us enjoy it." Cassandra looked towards the door and folded her hands in her lap. "Well, maybe with the exception of Iron Bull, but I think even he doesn't enjoy war. Still, the fact that you feel sick over it is a good thing, it means you have a humanity about you that others lack. You're stronger for it."

The woman reached over patting her knee. Bianca looked up at her with a furrowed brow, the mist in her eyes glistened in the sunlight. She hated for anyone to see her this way, but at this point she didn't care.

"If I was stronger for it, why do I feel like shit? What about you? You can't have ever felt like this, you seem so adjusted to the fighting."

"I've been involved in many fights. However, let me tell you something." Cassandra put her arm around Bianca's shoulders and let the girl lean against her.

"The very first time I ever picked up a sword, I was roughly twelve at the time. I was playing with a group of friends behind our house, and I'd taken my father's sword from his study." Cassandra let out a wry chuckle and Bianca's eyebrows rose.

"He wasn't happy about that, I take?"

"Not at all. It was one of those things that he treasured." Cassandra's mouth formed a line and her eyes drifted up to the ceiling. "If I recall, one of my good friends wandered off. There was this man nearby, I imagine he was watching us play."

The skin around Cassandra's lips and eyes tensed, and her eyebrows sank and came together like two clouds drifting in the breeze. "No one knew whether he was a Mage, a Templar, a simple villager-could have been a priest for all we knew. What was important at that time wasn't who he was, but the fact that when my friend wandered off, he attacked her."

"What did you do?"

"I did what I thought was best to protect my friend. This man was large, much larger than we were, and he had a knife in his hand. I had a sword, but I didn't think about using it. All that was going through my mind was protecting my friend before he killed her, so I struck him from behind with my father's blade…he fell to the ground and did not move."

Bianca turned her head and frowned as silence filled the room. Cassandra spoke after a long moment, her voice wavered at first and Bianca could feel the woman's arm tensing.

"When it hit me what I had done, I fell beside the man with tears in my eyes. I begged for him to be okay. Though I defended my friend, I killed a man that I did not know."

"But you were just protecting your friend. I mean, it was self-defense wasn't it?"

"It was." A faint smile appeared on her face and she turned her gaze back to Bianca. "And I would do it again if I had to. Am I any weaker for my actions that day, though? Am I weak because I felt horrible for taking someone's life, or am I weak for the tears I shed for that man's life?"

"I think what you did was brave."

"Tell me something, then." Cassandra pulled her arm back and Bianca looked into her eyes. "This Lantos. Does he have family? People who care about him, or people that he cares about? In that moment when he had you up against that boulder, would any of this have made a difference in any of us attacking that man in your defense?"

"I don't know." Lantos had no family, and there was hardly anyone in the carta clan that actually liked the guy. They only tolerated him because he was Dasher's second in command. "He's a violent person, probably the most violent one in our clan." Her hands balled up again and she bowed her head. "He gets what he wants, and if he's refused, he takes what he wants."

"I see. And you two had a relationship?"

"It was a volatile one, but yes. We did." She uncurled her hands and shut her eyes. The memories of his abuse came to her in flashes, and with each strike she remembered, her body tensed. "He would put me down, he would hit me when I didn't do what he wanted. It was like second nature to him. I couldn't leave him, and when I did, he would always tell me he'd change. One abusive relationship to another, that's the life I've led."

"Oh? There were others? I apologize if I overstepping boundaries."

She took in a trembling breath and leaned back against the wall. "It's fine." While it hurt to remember these things, it felt good to let it all out into the open. "Lantos was the only guy I've been with, but I was in abusive relationships all my life. My family, I guess I should say adoptive, they beat me as well..."

"I'm sorry."

"I wasn't good enough. I wasn't theirs, so I wasn't good enough." She bent her right leg and pulled her knee to her chest. Her eyes drifted to the door and her lips pressed against each other. "I wasn't good enough for anyone. Not good enough for my real mother, not good enough for the people that raised me. How can I be good enough for the Inquisition? How can I be good enough for my father?"

"Your father?"

Bianca paused her rant, realizing what she had said. Her lower lip tucked beneath her teeth and she shook her head. Maybe it was best not to keep this inside anymore, but she still couldn't tell Varric. She was too fearful of the result.

"Can I be honest with you? Can I tell you something that will stay between us and no one else?" Cassandra's brow furrowed and the woman approved with a nod.

"You can talk to me about anything if you need to."

She moved her arm over her knee and waited, mentally counting the beating of her heart. It was rushed and loud, like the heavy footsteps of somebody in armor running across the pavement.

Her head pulsed with pain and her breath caught in her throat as she fought back the fearful tears. "Okay." She inhaled slowly and opened her eyelids partially. "The real reason I'm here, probably the only reason that I agreed to stay and help…Is because of my father. My real father."

"Oh." Cassandra's gaze drifted out the nearby window and the tone of her voice softened. "I see. You were looking for your father at the conclave?"

"Someone in the merchant's guild said he'd be there. Dasher needed someone to listen in on the talks at the Conclave, so I volunteered. Lantos went with me, but that's beside the point. I went because I had hoped to meet my dad…the last thing I remember was Lantos telling me my father wouldn't want someone like me. I think he was right."

She pulled her other knee to her chest and lowered her head down to it. Her arms wrapped around her legs. She felt Cassandra rubbing her back in a slow, circular motion. The gesture was soothing and it seemed to dull the prior pain, if only by a small amount.

"I am sure that is not the case. You said you stayed because of him, does that mean he is here now?"

"Yes."

"I think I may know who you're speaking of." Bianca lifted her head and watched the look of surprise appear on Cassandra's face. "Have you spoken with him about it, yet?"

"No. I can't. Not now, and don't you say anything either…please."

"Why not?"

"There's a chance he wouldn't like me. I can't handle another rejection, not from him." She began to shake as she pictured Varric denouncing her. Her breathing shallowed and her chest tightened. "I've been looking all my life, and now that I found him, just the thought of his turning me away…"

"I don't believe he would turn you away, but I will say nothing." Cassandra smiled warmly and pat her back once more. "But when you are ready, know that I'll help you through whatever outcome if you need me."

"I appreciate that. I still just want to get to know him more, to be close to him."

"Never knowing and always fearing the result might be more painful than knowing, though."

"Maybe, but I've been through enough hell. If he were to reject me, I can't think of anything worse that anyone else could do to me."

"I understand." Cassandra stood up from the bed and Bianca glanced at the woman. "I need to get some work done. Remember, if you ever need anything, I'm here." Bianca smiled appreciatively and watched the woman exit the room.

Maybe Cassandra was right, maybe it would be better to talk to Varric, but her fears were far too damning to allow for it.

* * *

How do you feel about Cassandra's words of advice? Is she right, or do you suppose Varric would turn her away? Again, please feel free to share your input and thoughts, I value it greatly.


	9. Tale of a Hero

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (Tale of a Hero)

Early morning brought the sun high in the sky and brought fresh light through the cabin window. Bianca rolled over in her bed, hoping to avoid the bright light, and hardly had time to wake up before someone pulled her out of the bed. "Come on, get up!" Shouted a familiar voice.

"Sera, let me sleep some more." She grumbled and sat up on the ground, growling at the blonde elf. Sera placed her hands to her hips and squinted at her.

"I'm bored, the only people up are the old people-you know, Solas and Blackwall. Varric too, but he's too busy writing whatever old people write about." Bianca rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "Besides, it's been what, a few days since you've done anything? Surely you're healed up now, so I was thinking maybe we could head out and have some fun."

"Define 'fun'."

"Hunting. I haven't gone hunting in a while." Bianca pulled herself to her feet and ran a finger across her eyelids, hoping to rub some of the sleep from them. "I know you're not an archer or anything, but surely there's something you can hunt out there."

"I don't know." The Hinterlands wasn't very far from Haven, but in truth, none of the locations were all that far. The Storm Coast was about half a day's journey, then there was the town of Crestwood; a few hours off. The Hinterlands, however, was about an hour out and had some prime animals to hunt.

The only issue was that disappearing without warning might upset some people. Everyone was on edge after the attack at Storm Coast. "Well, the armor Harritt made is good," Bianca replied softly, "But it's too heavy for me to chase after rams and stuff."

"But I'm so bored."

"Right." She raised an eyebrow and walked over to the window, gazing out at the snow covered hills. "So is anyone else awake besides the…'old people'?"

Sera's nose wrinkled and she started to tap her chin. "Um. No. Bull's sleeping in his tent, Cassandra's asleep in her cabin." Yet the girl decided to wake her up; she wanted to be shocked by this. "I think Vivienne is awake, but she's weird, and she doesn't seem interested in doing anything."

"What are Solas and Blackwall doing, then?"

"Blackwall's carving wood, and Solas is talking to Adan about healing mixtures." Sera hopped onto the bed and crossed her legs. "Sir grumpy-pants is too busy going over every little detail on all his war reports."

"Who?"

"Cully or whatever. The guy seriously needs someone to loosen him up." Sera bent her arms over her knees and swayed from side to side. "It's so early that even Josephine is sleeping. I think Leliana's awake, or at least she sleeps with one eye open and everything. Feels like she's watching me all the time."

"If you're that bored, I'll go hunting with you." It did sound like fun, despite the fact that she couldn't hunt worth a damn. "It might be nice to spend some time just relaxing and not stressing out over everything."

"Yeah, I heard about what happened at that coast." Sera leaned forward, pushing her hands back along the bed sheets. Her nose scrunched and her lips fell to a frown. Bianca tensed and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Bad shit, that mess. I hope you're doing okay now, you haven't really talked about it much."

Sera hopped off the bed and walked over. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna. Let's just have some fun, forget all that crap." She raised her eyes up to Sera and a faint smile spread over her face.

"Yeah, that sounds good actually." She didn't mind having a day without worrying about anything in particular. "The Hinterlands are cleared of rebel mages and rogue Templars, so it should be alright to go there."

"Yes!" Sera cheered, then instantly stopped to clear her throat. "I mean, that's great, yep, let's go."

"We probably should inform someone we're headed out."

"Aw, why? They won't miss us."

"Still, I've learned it's better to be safe than sorry." Even before the whole ordeal with Lantos and the crap her clan put her through in the past, she always learned it was better to let people know where she was in case something went wrong.

When she was a child, she would always run off on her own, mostly to get away from the Cadash family, and there were a few times that she got stuck somewhere and would have liked to have someone to have gone looking for her.

"You ever get lost somewhere and wish someone would have gone looking for you?" She walked outside with Sera, trying to think back to some of the times she would run off by herself.

"Not really. I mean, maybe sure."

"Okay, I've got a great story for you then. Let's tell Varric or Solas where we're headed and I'll tell you on the way." Sera groaned and then shrugged when she realized there wasn't any way she was talking her way out of this.

Varric was okay with them heading out so long as they got back before it was too late. Solas was nearby and as they were leaving, she heard him tell Varric that he would follow them just in case anything happened.

She was a little perturbed by Solas's decision, but as she thought on it, she was fine with it as long as he didn't make himself noticeable.

When they reached the Hinterlands, Sera was urging her to tell the story she promised. "Okay. I was ten at the time, right?" The memory that came to mind was one she didn't like to think about too much, but she enjoyed the outcome.

"Well my family was traveling to Orzammar and Amelia-that's my adoptive mother-was in a really bad mood, so I didn't want to be around them." Sera's brow furrowed and she tilted her head to the right.

"Uh huh?"

"Okay, so I heard about the deep roads before. I didn't know much about them, and the entrance was guarded, but I wanted to go inside…so I snuck past the guards when they weren't looking." Sera's eyes grew and her hands moved up over her mouth.

"Oh god, isn't that where all the darkspawn things are?"

"Yep." She didn't know how she managed to get as far as she did without tipping off any of the darkspawn or spiders that roamed the cave, but she lasted for some time. "I did run across this kind of crazy oddball guy, can't remember his name."

Sera pulled her bow from her back and grabbed an arrow. They crouched behind a rock and watched two rams grazing nearby. Sera looked at Bianca, still eager to listen. "What happened with the crazy?"

"Nothing really. I was lost when I ran into him, so he took me to his cave so that I wouldn't be hurt, saying that I was just a little girl and shouldn't be wandering the deep roads by myself."

"He might have had a point."

"Yes, well, this group of soldiers came by and I wanted to know what they were up to, so I followed them." The group of soldiers belonged to the Legion of the Dead. She managed to stay far enough that they didn't realize her presence, but close enough to not lose them.

They went almost all the way to Caradin's Cross, but she lost them at the bridge and started into a series of tunnels.

"There was this one group of darkspawn I passed after I got lost and separated from the soldiers. They didn't see me." She cringed with disgust upon recalling what the darkspawn had been doing at the time. She knew all about Paragon Branka's lost crew, and many of the women had been defiled by the creatures.

She ran across possibly the last one woman left. It was a sight that no child her age should have seen, she knew that now, but back then she had no idea what to make of it.

"How on earth did you manage to get so far into the deep roads without getting noticed? How did you even get out?"

"I'm getting to that." The darkspawn would have killed her. It was only a miracle she wasn't noticed, but then, most of her journeying into the deep roads was while she'd been following soldiers that were plowing through the darkspawn.

"Now, most of the way into this, I was just following various groups that were killing darkspawn. That's how I wasn't noticed. The deeper I got, the less people there were…once I lost the Legion soldiers, that was it. I was on my own, no one was looking for me."

"You must have been down there for days."

"I was." To get as far as she had gone was hellish. She'd taken small bits of food from the soldiers she followed-but never more than a small amount. By the end of her journey she was tired, hungry, and fearful of her life.

"I ran into this weird ghoulish lady at one point, she kept reciting this god awful poem or whatever it was." She didn't remember much of the words now, only that she hated it to the point she would start crying her eyes out. "Finally, the darkspawn saw me wandering about."

Sera gasped aloud and dropped her bow to the ground. "How did you escape?"

"For the first time in my life, I got lucky."

As she told the story, the scene played out in her mind.

_The darkspawn were approaching, there were about four or five. Bianca was small for her age, and already weary from hunger and exhaustion. Her cheeks were swollen and red from the tears she cried over being lost for so long. _

_ As she backed up, she was sure no one would ever know what happened to her. No one would care, certainly Amelia and Marcus Cadash were long gone from Orzammar by now._

_ "Leave me alone," she screamed at the drooling, ghastly creatures. Her legs trembled and all she could do was think about what she saw the darkspawn doing to the woman in one of the other caverns. _

_ One of the creatures raised her blade and she turned to run, screaming at the top of her lungs as though someone would hear her. Her scream echoed off the walls, speaking to an empty chamber._

_ The creatures chased after her, laughing and snarling every few seconds. She looked over her shoulder, whimpering as the darkspawn grew closer. Then something stuck her foot, causing her to trip and fall onto her back. _

_ The darkspawn were upon her, so as a last act she pulled her arms in front of her face, bracing herself for a strike._

_ The strike never came. Instead, she heard a shuffling sound and a grunt, followed by a groggy voice. "Over here! Hurry up!" Her trembling lips separated and her eyes grew large as she pulled her arms away._

_ Standing before her was a dwarf clad in heavy, red armor. He had a red buzz-cut hairdo and a long braided moustache. His hands grasped a long axe that he used to slash at the creatures._

_ "Guys come on," the man growled, "There's a small kid over here. We need to get her out."_

_ "A child?" She turned her head in time to see a petite woman with chin-length red hair and milky skin running towards the dwarf. The woman had bright blue eyes, milky white skin and two long daggers in her hands. "Oh my god, how did a child manage to get in here? David, hurry up."_

_ The woman sheathed her daggers and scooped Bianca up in her arms as the burly dwarf slashed through a second darkspawn._

_ Two other creatures were coming up from behind the woman, but they exploded into sudden flames. When she looked over, she saw the source of the fire was a raven-haired woman clad in a scanty outfit._

_ "It's okay little one," the red haired woman whispered. "We're going to get you out of here sweetie. Don't you worry."_

_ Then she saw him, a powerful man with a strong noble presence. He had heavy, golden armor, long brown hair and a short beard. In his right hand he wielded a long, stunning sword that captivated her._

_ "When you said child," the man huffed, "I thought you were kidding." The man, likely the one called 'David' lunged forward and slashed his blade through the neck of the last remaining darkspawn. "Then again, after seeing your crazed wife, a giant immortal golem, a nearly dead woman reciting a poem about darkspawn defiling innocent women, and a large multiple breasted creature with god knows how many tentacles...nothing about this place surprises me."_

_ The red haired woman set her down and Bianca smiled weakly as the dwarf nearby walked over. He reached into his pack and removed a loaf of bread. "Hey, you hungry, kid?" Drool fell from her lips and her stomach growled when she saw the bread._

_ "I-I'm with the Cadash house. I ran away from Amelia and Marcus. I snuck into the deep roads and followed soldiers, then I got lost."_

_ The red-headed woman swooped over her, gasping in shock. "Oh you poor thing." The raven haired mage approached them carefully, studying her closely._

_ "Cadash?" The mage's eyebrow rose and her hand ran over her chin. "Caradin was just talking about the golem of our own. Didn't he say she was a Cadash from years before?"_

_ "Maybe." The dwarf picked her up and set her on his shoulder. "Who cares? Let's get her out of these caves. It's a damn good thing we came along when we did."_

_ "Yes. It is fortunate we were able to be here. No doubt she would not have lasted much longer on her own."_

Bianca ended her tale with the return to Orzammar. By some miracle, Amelia and Marcus had not yet left; they only stayed to witness the crowning of the next king. They hardly even noticed Bianca had gone missing-or if they did notice, they never said anything about it to her or her rescuers.

Sera's gaze was frozen onto Bianca, her face bore a mixture of emotions ranging from shock to horror. "Did you ever learn who those people were that saved you? I mean shit, you really got lucky."

"No, I never learned who they were. The one woman that held onto me while the others fought off the darkspawn? She's familiar to me, but it was so long ago and that memory is a distant one…I wish I could find them and thank them, but that's something I doubt I will ever get an opportunity to do."

"You sound like you were in awe of that one guy with the big sword."

"Oh I was. I think he was a warden, but I'm not sure really. He and the dwarf, I enjoyed meeting them. Well, all of them really." She chuckled once and ran her hand across her neck. "I just wish I knew why that one girl seems so familiar now."

"Maybe you've seen her after that. Who can say, really? I'll bet there are some people really happy you didn't die in those caves."

"Really?" She let out a dry chuckle and watched Sera aim her bow and arrow at one of the nearby rams. "I can't think of anyone that would have been happy about it."

"Well…" Sera's posture relaxed and she lowered the bow slightly while turning to glance at Bianca. "At the very least you're here to fix that hole in the sky and negotiate an end to the war that's going on. Right? So a bunch of people happy right there."

"If you say so." Had she died in the deep roads, she always wondered who would have mourned her. It seemed appropriate, feeling like she would have died alone in a place where nobody would have heard her scream.

Now thinking back on it, her survival must have been for some reason-or some would suggest it. Rescued by a hero with greatness cast on them, only to become a hero herself? She didn't feel heroic, she didn't feel important with this mark on her hand.

"The grey warden that ended the blight ten years ago, it's said he and one other survived chaos. Swarmed by darkspawn that slaughtered everyone else because of one man's treachery."

"Plucked out of the darkspawn horde by a dragon," Sera remarked while shooting the arrow off at the ram. "I know that part of the story. The Hero of Ferelden, saved from the darkspawn and carried away by a dragon."

"Right." She crossed her arms and laughed. "And I'm supposedly the 'Herald of Andraste', I'm guessing I was 'plucked' away from darkspawn by-" Just then a loud flapping sound broke her focus. They turned to see a few ravens flying overhead, their wings flapping loudly in the air.

She squinted her eyes and Sera looked around. "A raven? Ravens…is Leliana around here somewhere?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Sera hopped onto the rock and pointed at a bear in the distance. "Look, a bear! There's something you can get with your sword."

"Come again?" A bear was nothing to take lightly. They fought for dominance and could take one hell of a beating. "Sera, I don't think attacking a bear is a good-" Just then Sera fired her arrow off. Bianca's heart stopped as the bear let out a vicious roar. "Are you kidding me?"

Sera laughed and hopped off the rock. "You survived Darkspawn, you survived Lantos, I'm sure we can survive a _bear_." Bianca growled as the bear began rushing towards them.

"That's different! Those are all different levels of danger. I didn't survive darkspawn, I was rescued from them."

"Oh relax, I've done this a million times." Sera took aim, closing one eye and pushing her tongue out between her lips. Bianca braced herself to strike the bear, watching and listening as Sera's bow made a twanging sound.

The arrow plunged into the bear's right eye, causing the animal to fall back and roar in pain. "Now, Bianca. Get it!"

"Darkspawn, my adoptive mother, Lantos and the Carta…" Bianca smirked and ran for the bear, raising her blade. This girl was crazy, but fun nonetheless. "Now we're killing a bear after they tell us not to do anything that would be dangerous."

"Does a bear qualify as a danger?"

"Maybe." Just as the bear turned towards her, she swung the blade in a powerful arc, shouting as it cut into and through the creature's neck. "We are so dead when we get back to Haven."

* * *

Ah Sera, so much fun. Well, what are your thoughts on everything, and on the short tale? It's probably clear who that group was, and you got to wonder if Leliana might have followed them.


	10. Cherished Memory

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Cherished Memory)

"You killed a bear?" Varric spoke slowly and with a single rising eyebrow. Bianca and Sera glanced at each other and then back to him. It was a large bear too, and it didn't help that after killing it, a second one came running after them.

He crossed his arms and shook his head from side to side. "By yourselves, with Bianca's injuries still healing up?"

"I'm not that wounded," Bianca replied, "It's all healed up." She spread her arms out and shrugged. She had worse scrapes in her life, but as annoying as this was, she understood the concern. "We weren't in any real danger."

"That is true," Solas replied, "Mainly because I kept the passing mercenaries and outlaws from seeing the two of you out hunting." She sighed and turned to Sera. The blonde's glare darted towards Solas and her head began to turn red.

"Just because we're young doesn't mean we're easy targets," Sera exclaimed. Bianca held her breath, opting not to stir up anything by getting involved in Sera's anger. "You don't have to watch over us like we're a couple of kids, you're not our parents."

Bianca tilted her head and squinted her eyes. "Technically…" She appreciated the protectiveness. She didn't like being told that she should or should not have done something, but this was really the first time someone that could potentially have a right as a parental figure was taking concern over her.

Varric turned to Solas, his fingers tapped his forearm and his already narrow eyes looked to shut further. "And you were watching them. You let them fight two giant bears on their own and didn't intervene?"

"I wouldn't say they were giant," Solas chuckled.

"The size of the bear isn't important. Or it is, but still…"

Leliana walked around the corner. Her wrists were locked behind her back and her eyes were focused on Bianca. "They were in no danger." The four turned around and Bianca watched a subtle smile form across the spymaster's lips. "A few of Sera's arrows missed, though."

Sera gasped and pointed at the woman. "I know I didn't miss a shot, every shot hit those bears." Leliana closed her eyes and her lips twisted into a smirk.

"That's because every for each shot that you missed, I fired a shot into the bears." Bianca stifled a laugh while Sera groaned. "Don't worry about the girls so much, Varric. They're safe, they weren't in any danger, and they are quite capable of taking care of themselves if they have to."

"I know that." Varric swept his hands over the back of his neck and paced off to the right. "I just-what if something _had_ happened? I should have been there. I was never there, I should have been." Bianca furrowed her brow and a sudden pang struck her chest. "I'm aware she doesn't need to be babysat, I just-agh…"

He rubbed his forehead and turned away from the group. "I need to think." He stopped a few feet away from them and turned his gaze over his shoulder. "By the way, I'm glad you two had a good time hunting, and you got some prime meat as well. So good hunting, something to be proud of."

Her heart lifted up and a bright grin stretched over her face. Varric was proud of her; though it was just a small thing to be proud of-getting bear and ram pelts-it still meant a great deal.

A soft hand touched her shoulder and she looked up to see Leliana smiling down at her. "Try not to take it too serious, he really is just concerned." Bianca walked over to a stone wall and sat on the top of it.

"I'm not worried. It's kind of nice, actually." She crossed her legs and leaned backwards. Her hands pressed down behind her, stabilizing her position. "So, you were out there. Sera and I talked about some personal stuff, you…didn't happen to hear anything private, did you?"

"Like what?"

Bianca hesitated and her expression fell flat. "Nice try." Leliana smirked and took a seat beside her.

"I heard your story about the Deep Roads." Her arms tensed and her head bowed. She was afraid Leliana might have heard that; she only meant for Sera to hear the tale. It likely didn't matter that Leliana knew of it, but it still could change how people saw her.

"Could you, maybe, not tell Varric about that?"

Leliana looked in the direction Varric left and chuckled. "No worries, your secret is safe with me." She did wonder why he was so concerned, but she wasn't curious enough to ask about it.

"I can't help but notice Bianca, you seem to like two handed weapons. Would that preference have anything to do with that group you encountered in the Deep Roads? Many carta seem preferential to daggers and arrows."

She straightened her back and brought her hands around to her lap. "To be honest, yeah." She tapped her left hand with her right and smiled as the memory of that red-haired dwarf and the noble hero that wound up finding her that day. "Big swords and axes, I really didn't start thinking anything of swords until then. They were beautiful, what those men had."

"I'll bet." The grin on Leliana's face was widening, much to Bianca's surprise. There was a glint of pride in the woman's gaze as well, which wasn't expected. At least not from a woman that normally appeared so stern and stoic.

"I don't know who that group of people were, and I was too young to think much of it besides 'I really want to go home'." She furrowed her brow and leaned her head back slowly. "A shock considering who I was going home to."

"I imagine."

She leaned herself forward and brought her hands down to the edge of the wall, clamping her fingers over the edge and pushing her hands into her legs. "Those people saved my life, and I never knew their names. I never thanked them, and I wish I could. They're my heroes, one way or another…and that's coming from someone like me."

"Someone like you?"

"To tell the truth?" Bianca glanced up to Leliana. Her lips sank into a frown, pulling back into her cheeks. "That time I was lost in the caves. Given my life, the shit I've gone through…that was probably the only time I think I wanted to live." Leliana's lips pursed and her hands folded over in her lap.

"It was?"

"I grew up with that family. The Cadash house…Amelia and Marcus were always abusive, always lashing out at me, there were times I wanted to die. Hell, the whole reason I was in the deep roads in the first place was because I wanted to get away from them." She paused for a breath and watched as the wind blew a stray leaf across the ground.

Leliana fell quiet as well. Her eyes slid out to the right, but her expression did not change from a calm, stoic one.

"I didn't want to die alone in a cave with a bunch of darkspawn, knowing nobody would ever find me-no one would ever know what happened to me." She spoke slow while trying to imagine what could have happened to her. "I can't have been the first kid to get lost in there, and I probably wouldn't have been the first to die…"

"That is true. You've certainly survived your share of near death experiences."

"Evidently."

"You know. In your tale, it sounds like you might have been rescued by the Hero of Ferelden when his group was returning from dealing with Branka." Bianca's eyebrows rose and her mouth opened into a circle.

She felt a rush of excitement and her cheeks turned a shade of red. "Really?" It was something difficult to believe, but if true, then it was amazing. "Oh, I'm almost certain it was, and I bet his group knows just how grateful you are they found you…"

"You said once that you knew them, so maybe…" Her eyes darted to the side and she pushed her hand along her neck, sighing heavily. "It's a little embarrassing to ask." Leliana smiled gently and raised her eyebrows. "Maybe you could just tell them about me? Tell them I said thanks for getting me out of there? I know so many people wouldn't have stopped, but the fact that they stopped for me."

"They may not have known you were there if it hadn't been for Oghren hearing you." She froze and her eyes shot back to Leliana. She never mentioned the name 'Oghren', primarily because she didn't know what the name was.

Still, since she had known them, it was likely she knew the names that she didn't. "Yeah. I know for them it was probably just another small event in the day, just another person they were helping, and after all this time they may not really care anymore…"

Leliana's head tilted to the right and the corners of her mouth dropped an inch. "Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that." The woman reached over and pat Bianca gently on the knee. "I'll be happy to pass the message on. I'm sure they'll love knowing where you are now and what you might accomplish in the future because of them."

She caught the twinkle in Leliana's eyes, further sparking her curiosity. "My life really wasn't that great after that either, but at least now that I'm _here_, maybe it'll get better."

"Oh they will, and I can assure you, I won't let anything bad happen either."

"You know, the Hero of Ferelden may have been part of that group that saved me, but the one man-the guy you said was Oghren? I think he's the real hero." She started to smile and wiped away a wistful tear in her eyes. "I mean, it is as you say. He was the one that stopped. He was the one that heard me running from the Darkspawn, and he was the one that called the group over. He's always been more the hero of that story than even as you say, the warden…"

"Oh. You know something? I think he would be overjoyed to hear that." Leliana let out an airy laugh and shook her head. "He always liked to joke or complain how David was the one everyone remembers and how he was the important one. I believe David would never hear the end of it if he knew just how important he was to that little girl he saved from the Deep Roads."

Bianca laughed and ran her hand across her moist eyes. These were only tears of joy, remembering something that was truly a fondly cherished memory. "I always remember that axe weapon he had, it was amazing the way it shimmered. It looked like crystal too, though I don't think it was."

"Faith's Edge." Bianca's lips pursed and her eyebrows slid together. Leliana turned her head forward and pat her hands on her knees. "If I remember, the axe Oghren had was called Faith's Edge."

Leliana closed her eyes and curled her fingers in. "'Blessed is her touch, blessed is her breath, blessed is her blood that runs through my heart and strengthens my mighty blow'. Those words were inscribed on that weapon. We always found it ironic that was the weapon he selected."

"So you knew him personally as well? I thought it was just the Hero of Ferelden that you knew personally. Well, him and the lady you were talking about before."

"I knew all of them. Even a woman that might have actually been related to one of the ancestors of your adoptive family." Bianca coughed and pat her chest with a closed hand.

"How exactly does _that_ work?"

"Complicated." Leliana's eyelids fell halfway and her lips twisted into a thin line. "You grew up with one of the noble merchant families that lived out of Orzammar like Varric and his family does, so I don't know how much you know about your ancient paragons."

"Next to nothing, I suppose." She never paid that much attention to the paragons either. The history wasn't all that interesting to learn; she did learn what she could, but tuned out most.

"Right." Leliana took a deep breath and looked towards the sky. "Well Caradin was a smith paragon long ago that found a way to make the 'ultimate warrior', but it required turning people into golems. One of the first to volunteer was a dwarf by the name of Shayle, of House Cadash."

"Oh."

"These golems never died. She did manage to get frozen in one place as a statue for the longest time until we found her. After meeting with Caradin, we destroyed the anvil that would have allowed for more golems to be made…that's probably why you don't see them anymore."

"Kind of glad about that, actually." Her nose wrinkled up. She hopped off the stone wall and walked forward a few feet. She was mentally processing Leliana's words and her knowledge not only of the people in that group, but of the very weapon Oghren was wielding at the time.

The familiarity of the red haired woman that was in the group was beginning to be realized. Her heartbeat flickered and began to race as a nervous and excited sensation pulsed through her veins.

"Just a thought," Leliana stated with a plain tone. Bianca turned to her, smiling as the woman rose up. "You mentioned in your tale that a woman held you while the others fought off the darkspawn. What was she like? What was going through your mind in that time?" In the woman's eyes was that familiar gentleness she recalled from the woman in her memory.

She didn't want to assume, but if it was possible that Leliana had any deeper connection to that group, then it just might change her opinion on how close she wanted to be to this Inquisition.

"Closest thing to mother-like nurture I've ever felt at the time, Leliana." Leliana swayed back for a moment, breathing in through barely parted lips. The woman shut her eyes and curled up the corners of her mouth. "Like I said, if I could have ever had the chance to tell them how much I appreciated them in that time, I would have. So pass that on to them if you ever hear from them again."

* * *

So what's been running through your mind reading this? What do you think's going through Leliana's mind? Pride?


	11. The Right Armor

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (The Right Armor)

"Are they not back yet?" Bianca looked about Varric's campfire, having just checked Solas's cabin. They had been gone for a while, meaning the group was making little progress on getting to Redcliffe to talk to the mages. She heaved forth a heavy sigh and muttered under her breath. "We should get going, _Dad_."

There was the possibility of going to Redcliffe without them, but she didn't want to do that. As secure as she felt with Cassandra with her, she preferred traveling with her father even now. Making matters worse, Solas and even Commander Cullen weren't where they needed to be.

"Are you looking for Varric?" Cassandra walked up behind her and she spun around with a start. "He left with Cullen and Solas a while ago with a few of the soldiers. They did not say where they were headed." It sounded as though they were heading an expedition of some sort.

"If they went searching for something, I might have liked to join them. I'm starting to go stir crazy here." There was nothing to do and she was bored, although less going out and killing people registered with her.

"I don't know what to do though. We need help to close that breach in the sky, right? Mages, Templars, who do I go to for help?" She leaned against the stone wall and scratched behind her neck.

Cassandra stood beside the wall and folded her right arm on top of it. The woman turned her head towards the breach, staying silent as they studied it. "The Templars can do what they can to negate the magic, the Mages can try and draw power away. Whoever you go to for help, it's likely the other side won't want to associate."

Her shoulders dropped and her lips fell into a frown. Hearing that was like taking a punch to the gut; she would have liked help from both. "That isn't very comforting. I knew it wasn't likely with the war going in between them, but I would have hoped…"

"I know. It's unfortunate."

Bianca took a deep breath and started moving past Cassandra. She was tired of walking around aimlessly and wanted to get some actual work done. "It doesn't help that I'm bored. Hell, even my ex is bored." Cassandra raised an eyebrow and Bianca shrugged. "Lantos sent me another letter, how it got past Leliana I'm not sure, but even he's bored."

"Leliana is…out also." Bianca dropped her hands to her waist and let out an exasperated sigh. "Lantos sent you a letter? How can you tell _he's_ bored?"

"He was talking about the clan's inventory and going on about how he needed to test some equipment. He does that when he's bored; rambling on about nothing in particular." The letter wasn't even threatening, it was as though Lantos thought he could simply send her a note. "Though he did tell me he was seeing someone else."

"Why would he tell you that?"

"No clue. Maybe to make me upset?" She shrugged and continued towards the tavern. Her hands closed and her eyes drifted towards a couple chantry sisters walking by. They bowed at her and called her the Herald of Andraste.

Her stomach turned over and she mustered a polite smile, then turned away before they could see the look of disgust on her face. "I hate the way people treat me like I'm some holy icon. It makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sure it does, but you know you're helping to give people hope that order will be restored and the breach closed." Bianca shrugged and pushed open the tavern door. "If you're looking for something to do, there's a shoe merchant visiting, maybe you'd like to check them out?"

"We can buy boots from any old merchant…"

"This one has 'exotic' wear, as he calls it."

"Maybe I'll look later on." The tavern singer began singing _Enchanter_. Bianca started to smile as the music filled her with a sense of calm and peace.

The urge to dance overtook her, and for the first time in a long time she felt an easiness in her heart. Bianca closed her eyes and raised her hands while swaying to the right, then spinning once.

The back of her hands folded together and slid up before her face. Her eyes opened partially and her lips curled at those watching her. They filled the background, their gazes didn't bother her one moment; it was as though they did not exist.

She took a breath and stepped forward, swaying her arms back, then forward through the air. Her movements were fluid and simple.

Bianca's gaze drifted to the right and locked into the blue eyes of a dwarf sitting in front of the barmaid, Flyssa. His body was twisted away from his left forearm which hung off the bar. His light blonde hair was grown out, covering the tip of his ears and the tips of his eyes. The dwarf's skin was lightly tanned, and his thin lips were stretched into a subtle smile.

He watched her continue to dance and sway to the music until exhaustion beckoned her to stop. Bianca breathed out heavily and approached the bar, sitting beside him. "You drink?" The dwarf asked, to her surprise. "I'll buy you a glass of ale."

"You don't have to, but I appreciate it." The dwarf raised a copper for Flyssa. His lips parted, revealing a white toothy grin. She folded her arms on the table and ran her hand across her forehead, wiping away her sweat. "It's been a while since I let myself get lost like that."

"You don't dance often, I take?"

"Not really." Normally she'd be uneasy towards someone talking to her, but there was something somewhat enchanting about this stranger. Plus, she was far too tired to care. "When I was a little girl, I'd dance by myself in my room. My adoptive parents weren't too receptive of me, so I had nothing better to do."

"You're adopted?" He took his mug and lifted it towards his lips. "So am I, actually. My name's Gunther. Gunther Leif Erikson, but most people call me 'Sandal'." Bianca raised her eyebrows and leaned back. Her hands slid across the table and she glanced up as Flyssa set a small glass of ale in front of her. "My father's back in Kirkwall right now."

"I see." Curious as to why his nickname was 'Sandal', she leaned sideways and glanced down to his feet. Sure enough, he was wearing some fancy sandals that looked to be specially crafted by someone. Perhaps Sandal himself.

"So, do you buy a drink for every girl you meet, Sandal?" Sandal laughed and shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry. Your dancing was enchanting." He teased a smirk and raised his shoulders. "I bought you a drink because you look tired."

"Well." She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes. "My father should be around here, but evidently he's off on some journey or something."

"Adventurers, you've got to love them." He rolled his eyes and took another sip of his ale. "Am I right?" Her nose crinkled and her lips slid into a tiny smile. "At the very least, they bring merchants like myself more money."

"You're a merchant, Sandal?"

"Formerly an enchanter with my father." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I say 'formerly'. I still am, but I'm a shoe merchant on the side. My dad doesn't know that yet, he thinks my shoes are a bit odd." She held back a chuckle and looked to the door for Cassandra, but the girl was gone.

"My friend was just telling me there was an 'exotic shoe merchant' in town." She was so used to her boots, but her feet often came out sore as hell. "So what's so special about the shoes you sell? Why are they different from boots by other merchants?"

"I create shoes, boots, and even soft slippers that you can wear by your bed." Sandal set down his cup and his clear blue eyes drifted to the corners, peering at her from the corners. "As a side note, I know how to add certain elements to them that can make the shoes warmer, cooler, tougher, you name it…"

Bianca jerked her head back, chuckling loudly. "Are you telling me you craft together boots that you can somehow enchant?"

His lips stretched into a smirk and he raised his hands, picking at his forefinger with his thumb. "I can make slippers that will have you swearing up and down that you are walking on the sky. For you, I can make it feel like every inch of your foot is being kissed by the softest lips."

"I'm sorry, are you trying to make a sell or flirt?" He was charming, she'd give him that much. Dare she say, there was something about him that drew her towards him. "So, why is your father in Kirkwall and you're here?"

"Neither, and I'm twenty-two now, I figure it's time to start making a name for myself. My father thinks I'm too obsessed with the idea of making footwear, so he usually likes to do all the talking." His lips stretched into a thin line and his gaze hardened for a moment as they fell to the ale in his hand.

"Quite frankly, simply saying 'hello' and asking people if they want a weapon enchantment has gotten rather old. I want out of the enchanting business, let someone else deal with that mess." His grip on the mug loosened and his shoulders sloped downwards. "I love my father, don't get me wrong, but that man didn't let me grow. He wanted me to look boyish, kept my hair cut and my skin pale."

"Branching out. It's always good. Running away? Not so much."

"I'm not running, I'm trying to make a name for myself. I agree with you, running doesn't solve anything." Bianca bent her arm up and perched her right cheek on her closed hand. She flashed a smile at Sandal and shut her eyes. "Still, you can't stay in one place if you don't grow, my dad didn't understand that. I need to show him I can make it as a merchant on my own."

"Well, I'll take a look at these shoes of yours, Sandal. My feet do get sore rather often from walking around on the hard ground."

Sandal's smile grew and his blonde eyebrows rose beneath his bangs. "I can fix that."

Back in her cabin, she sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Sandal crouched before her and slipped a brown slipper onto her right foot. The shoe was made of either satin or silk, knitted together perfectly upon a velvet-cushioned bottom. The very bottom of the shoe was made up of a soft, yet firm and durable material that looked of leather.

The minute the shoe was on her foot, she could feel a subtle warmth caressing it and drawing the blood to the surface of her skin. Her hands slid back on the bed and her shoulders rose. Bianca closed her eyes and mouth, then breathed in slowly through her nose.

"Wow," she said with a hum. Sandal turned his head towards her, gazing with eager and gentle eyes. "That is really comfortable."

"Try walking." He extended his hand to her. She looked to his open palm, tensing for a split second before placing a careful hand in his. She looked into his eyes and watched him rise up.

Her breathing caught in her throat and she allowed him to pull her from the bed. Her foot touched the ground, but as he said earlier, the sense of stepping on air caused her to stumble forward. A startled gasp shot from her lips and she landed against him.

Sandal helped her to steady herself and her eyes shot up into his, and the air in her lungs faded away as a breathless pant escaped her lips. Sandal's eyelids fell halfway and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards, stretching into a handsome smile.

"Careful there." His voice was soft like honey, and every breath he took was quiet and warm against her cold cheeks. A sudden blush crept across her face and she pulled away from him, stumbling to the right and catching herself.

"I um." She scratched her neck and looked away from him. "Wow." She walked across the floor, amazed with every cushioned step. "You weren't kidding about these shoes of yours, they're really soft."

"These are bedtime slippers, or even slippers for the morning. I've got many different possibilities, even comfortable armored boots. The trick there is stitching softened padding to the bottom to support your feet."

Bianca pulled her hair from her face and tucked it over her ear. "I might like that, actually." A specially padded sole inside sturdy boots sounded fantastic. "No more blisters from running around for hours at a time."

"Exactly. Can you believe my father thought such a thing was worthless? Dad is a bit old fashioned, to be honest. He always said I'd never find anyone to support such an idea."

"Well…_I_ might support padded soles."

A knock at the door stole her attention and she twisted around to see Cassandra walking in. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"You're not, this was the shoe merchant you talked about. We were discussing armored boots."

"I see, are you going to buy a pair?"

Sandal folded his arms and peered down to the shoes on Bianca's feet. "I would be happy to give you a pair of my finest material if you'd like." Her heart skipped and she turned suddenly, surprised by his offer.

"You'd do that? Why?"

"A grace. It would be your first purchase, of course, so consider it a gift. If it suits you, great and if not, you can hand it back to me without any strings attached."

She liked the sound of the offer, and especially enjoyed the idea of not having any strings attached to the deal.

He walked up alongside her and held her attention with confident and warm eyes. "My finest was crafted from material collected from a dragon slain by one of my father's old friends."

"And the padding of the boots?"

"Incredibly soft and durable. I will go retrieve them." He left without another word. Bianca moved her hand up to her chest and looked at Cassandra

"Did you need something?" As she stammered out her words, Cassandra leaned against the door frame and flashed a knowing smirk.

"I was going to say, Varric is back and brought something for you." She started to ask what it was, eager to know what he might have brought back from wherever he'd gone, but Cassandra was already on her way out.

Bianca swept her hand over the back of her neck and walked towards the bed. When she felt something soft beneath her feet, she glanced down and saw she'd forgotten that she was still wearing the shoes Sandal had given her.

"I should pay for these…"

"Pay for what?" She raised her head with a start and smiled as Varric entered the room with Cassandra. "You would not believe the trip I took Cullen and Leliana on." He turned to the doorway with a smirk and Bianca watched her two advisors enter into the room.

Their eyes were weary and their faces long despite their feigned smiles. In Cullen's hand he held a stunning piece of fiery red armor. "Armor?" She walked closer to the armor piece and stared inquisitively at her father. Varric pat the armor and met her gaze.

"The finest dwarven armor craftsmen can make. Legion of the dead. It required a bit of tough material to find, but we managed." Cullen pulled his hand to his forehead and sighed.

"Deserts, demons, dragons…"

Varric shrugged and carried the armor to her, holding it up. "It's for you." Her heartbeat skipped and she took the gift with a bit of surprise. "After how easy it was for Lantos to get to you, I knew you needed something worthy of the inquisition."

He closed his eyes and took a soft breath. Cassandra crossed her arms and Leliana raised an eyebrow. "Oh is that all?" Cassandra asked with a huff. There was a suspicious note in Varric's voice, as though he wanted to say something more but was holding back.

She could hear the anger in his tone, so she knew he was still irritated over the lack of decent armor. "Thank you so much. I'm going to try this on right now." Bianca hugged him subconsciously. His face turned red and the advisors in the room started to smile.

The armor didn't take too long to put on, and it wasn't so heavy that she couldn't carry it. "I've only heard stories about the Legion of the Dead." She ran her fingers along the firm shoulders and turned to her father with a widening grin. "You know more about them than I do, I think?"

"Yes." Varric ran his hand along his neck and looked off to the side. "Maybe I'll tell you about them sometime." His mouth twisted into a faint smile and his proud gaze studied the armor she had on. "It fits you perfectly."

"Yes. Thank you again." In the corner of her eyes she saw Sandal returning to the room with the metal boots he offered her. "Oh! Perfect shoes for the armor. I met this shoe merchant…" Varric raised an eyebrow and started to turn. Sandal entered the room and stopped without warning as his eyes focused on Varric.

Varric's brow furrowed and his smile faded. "Wait a minute…This is the shoe merchant?" Bianca scrunched her face and walked up beside Varric.

"You know him?"

"We've met. I know his father." Varric's eyes squinted and his arms crossed over his chest. "Speaking of whom…"

"My father's back in Kirkwall," Sandal replied slowly. Varric's jaw hit the floor and his eyes grew large. "I can work with my passion on my own." Bianca moved towards Sandal, looking at the boots in his hands. "I believe I promised a pair of boots."

"Are you sure you don't want payment?"

"No ma'am, it's a gift." As Sandal smiled, she felt a bit of energy pulling her in. At the same time, she thought she felt someone glaring at the two of them, and when she turned, she saw Varric's protective and inquisitive stare on the merchant.

"What kind of merchant goes around giving their stock as gifts?" Varric dropped his arms and Sandal's eyebrows rose.

"It's more, if she's unsatisfied she is able to return them. It is nothing more than generosity."

Varric scratched at his head and huffed. "Since when do you say more than-"

"Enchanting. Isn't it?" The right corner of Sandal's mouth slid up into his cheekbones and a daring glint flickered in his eyes. Varric pulled his hand away from his head for the moment and glanced over when a sigh escaped Bianca's lips.

"Are you concerned?" Cullen smirked deviously and squinted his eyes. Varric dropped his hands and swept his arms outwards while shaking his head. "He is only a merchant, selling specially made boots to the inquisition." Cullen folded his arms and tilted his head to the right. "I think we could rather use him."

Bianca sat down on the bed and carefully pulled the boots onto her feet. "What do you think, Cadash?" Cullen scratched his chin and Varric rolled his eyes.

Bianca stood up and was instantly enamored with the comfortable feel of the boots. She kicked the bed gently and grinned when she felt nothing more than pressure. "Wow, these really are amazing." She clasped her hands at her waist and turned towards Sandal. "I think their inquisition can really benefit from your boots."

Varric started to blink and Sandal started to bow, placing his forearm at his waist. "I'd be happy to offer my services if you'll have me." His gentle and confident eyes meshed with hers, drawing her towards him. "But, you're a part of the inquisition now as well, aren't you? It's hardly 'their' inquisition."

Bianca bit her lip and swept her hand through the air. "I could do without people thinking I'm someone important when I'm not."

"I see."

"Anyway. I think this would be a good chance for you to prove to your father that you can do this, and to get your name out." She crossed her arms and turned her gaze towards Varric. "I know if it were me, I'd want my father to know and believe that I had what it takes to be independent and push forward."

Varric crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Sandal. "I have no trouble with him as long as he doesn't do anything creepy or strange. You guys don't know this kid."

Sandal shrugged. "My own dad doesn't know what I'm capable of." Out of the corner of her eyes Bianca saw Leliana shudder, as though recalling some horrific scene. "I can guarantee not only the best quality in my craft, but safety."

Varric waved him off and pointed to the boots. "Are they good, Bianca? Satisfactory?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "They're perfect, and they match the Legion Armor nicely. I should be able to get around just fine in this."

"Good."

* * *

So what's running through your mind? Do tell.


	12. A Little Faith

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (Faith)

Bianca walked the Frostback with Scout Harding, admiring what little view there was. The breach in the sky, while deadly, bore an oddly pleasant feeling that was hard to describe.

As they pressed ahead, she couldn't help but notice a nervousness in Harding. The woman shuffled her feet and was constantly scratching behind her head. "So." Harding looked over her shoulder with a smile and squinted eyes. "It's nice not being the only dwarf involved anymore. Or, I mean, the only female dwarf here."

"Yeah, I don't really feel like leaving." Bianca crossed her arms and shrugged. "I don't like being regarded as some holy symbol or whatever, it makes me uncomfortable, but there are some people that make me want to stay."

Harding's hands moved to her waist. "You have to admit, here is better than the response. Although, I do feel like Leliana's watching me constantly."

"She watches everyone, doesn't she?"

"Yeah." Bianca raised an eyebrow and watched the woman turn around and continue on ahead. "I've recently started seeing someone, so she might be making sure it doesn't take away from my duties."

"I'm sure it wouldn't." Harding was a strong woman, a force to be reckoned with, and of course her job always came first. "I'd talk to her, but as quickly as she came back, she left. I'm not sure what she's doing."

"Looking for someone. Which is basically the bulk of what she normally does." Harding folded her arms and looked towards a bird flying overhead. "She's protective of you too, you know? I can't figure out why."

"I don't know. I have ideas, but I don't know for sure." The idea was that Leliana was the nurturing woman from the past that held onto her in the deep roads, and she knew it. "Varric's protective too." She ran her hand over her neck and let out a sigh as Sandal came to her mind. "I bought some boots from this attractive merchant, and Varric looked ready to tear the guy apart."

Harding started to laugh, much to her surprise. She started to speak up, but the woman spoke first. "I can't say I'm surprised. Honestly, that guy probably regrets never having an actual family."

"Oh." She wouldn't actually have a problem with that if it were the case; it was nice to be treated like someone's daughter. "I think, it would be nice if he were my father." Harding shot her a skeptical look and shook her head.

"I don't know if he has the qualifications to be one. But then, anyone can be a father. You look like someone who could be in use of a dad."

Bianca bent her arm upwards and curled her forefinger over her upper lip. "I wonder if I have time to develop a relationship with my birth father." She hadn't meant to say the words aloud, but to her fortune, Harding likely didn't know who she was referring to.

"If you want to." Harding looked towards some bushes, staring at the berries for a time. "I don't see what's keeping you." She lowered her hand with a sigh and looked back towards the chantry.

"Like it or not, I have to give my time to the inquisition." She walked forward, staring at the path in front of her. "What about you? Your parents?"

"They live pretty far away, but I still make time to write. If they were here, it would be a lot easier to deal with."

"Because then they'd be here?"

"Yes. I'd get to spend more time with them. Even better if they were scouts like me."

As Harding pressed ahead, Bianca stopped and looked towards the ground with a solemn gaze. The woman's words picked her brain, forcing her to consider the situation she was in. Varric was here, and they could journey plenty of places. There truly wasn't a reason for her not to be able to develop a relationship with her father.

"Alright Bianca, up here." Her eyes turned up and she spotted Harding squatting on a high tree branch. The woman's smile was stretched out and her hand was beckoning her. "Come see the view."

She placed her hand on the thick trunk and peered at the armor she had on. Bianca took a deep breath and began to climb while ignoring the doubts that she would be able to position herself with such heavy weight.

Harding put an arm around her shoulders once she positioned herself in place beside the woman. Her gaze cast out over the skyline and the chantry down below, and the breath she had been holding onto was released into the crisp wind.

"Amazing…"

"It's great, isn't it? You can see the entire landscape from high up, so this is one of the best ways to scout. This way, you know where everything is-I form maps of the area in my mind as well."

Bianca took in the view and started to think on what the scout was saying. It was a useful skill, and something she could certainly apply in her travels.

Her hands gripped the branch carefully and she looked towards the ground below in hopes she wouldn't fall. "Can I ask you something, Bianca?"

"Anything."

"Um, it's about Lantos." She raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways. Harding's eyes were closed and her body leaned against the trunk. Harding's left leg hung off the branch and her right foot was positioned on the top. "He was abusive to you, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I'm a little surprised you know about him."

"I know about as much as anyone else." Harding opened her eyes and turned her head towards the Chantry. "Everyone knows about him though; he did attack you after all."

"Right."

"Do you think people can change?"

"If they want to." She wasn't the best expert on the subject, but she did believe if someone tried hard enough, they could change their ways-even Lantos. "Maybe with a little help from the right person." Harding started to smile, and she visibly relaxed. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Harding studied her for a minute until a smirk gradually appeared on her face. "So I was up here earlier, looking out, and I saw you watching that shoe merchant." A blush appeared and she turned away, not wishing to reveal anything "I'm sure neither of us are the type to talk about guys, but what's going on there?"

"Nothing. I was admiring the merchandise."

"Oh. The merchandise?" Harding's smirk grew and her eyebrows pushed her forehead up. "Okay then. Do you enjoy the merchandise?" There was something about Harding's voice that conveyed teasing, and she didn't like it.

She squinted her eyes and spoke with a growl. "What is that supposed to mean. I'm not pursuing anything, if that's what you think." Sandal just seemed like a good guy, that was all. "He gave me a pair of really nice boots."

"Oh, is that all?" Harding leaned forward and pointed towards the entrance of the camp. "Look! Leliana's back, and someone's with her." Bianca leaned in the woman's direction and held her hand above her eyes to shield from the sun.

Down below, the caped spymaster walked with Cassandra and Varric. Beside Varric walked another dwarf whose chest was puffed out with pride. From what she could see, he had short red hair and a long braided beard.

Bianca squinted and tried to figure out who this dwarf was. He was clad in similar armor and had a long white axe whose blades glinted in the sunlight. "Where have I seen…" The light reflected off the blade just as the dwarf looked up towards her.

Her eyes grew large as she remembered this man having once stood over her, protecting her from the darkspawn so many years ago. She threw her hands over her mouth and nearly fell out of the tree. Harding had to grab her to keep her steady from the jolt of excitement.

"Careful there, Bianca. You don't need to fall…" Harding straightened her and looked down at the dwarf below. "So who is it?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to explain, but could only utter excited gasps.

The scout rolled her eyes and began to descend from the tree, helping Bianca down as well. When she was able to, she wiped away the tears from her cheeks and poised herself to appear strong. "A real hero, Harding. Not someone like me, not some imagined fantasy to worship, but a real hero…"

"Okay?"

"Sorry. We'll talk some other time?"

Harding smiled back and gave her a swift pat on the shoulder. "Sure." Bianca ran for the group, stopping just short of her hero while panting heavily.

Leliana crossed her arms and looked at Bianca with a gentle smile. "Bianca, I believe you already recognize him. This is-" The dwarf raised a closed hand to his mouth, belching loudly and apologizing immediately afterwards. Leliana groaned in disgust and slapped her forehead. "Oghren. Some things never change."

Bianca watched Oghren pat his belly and laughed. "It's fine. The guys back in…you know…they would have belching contests all the time."

"So." Oghren appeared to glow in the sunlight, his expression appeared mighty and strong as it had been so many years ago. She watched his shoulders rise as he breathed in and turned his eyes towards her. "When Leliana told me about you, I had to come meet you in person. You have grown a great deal, and now look, you're a part of something yourself."

Bianca rubbed her neck and shrugged. "Thank you." She started to stutter as she often did when she became too nervous. Her head bowed and she listened to Leliana mention that she wasn't too eager to fight. Her head rose sharply and she spoke rapidly to explain herself. "It's not that I don't believe in the inquisition, I fully support what we're doing, it's just…the fighting, the chaos-_killing_."

She began to sweat and flailed her right arm during her attempt to explain, surprised that she somehow managed to never take a breath. "I didn't choose any of this, it just sort of happened. I'm not a hero, I'm not some great person with great power. I'm nothing, I'm nobody. I can't be a hero when I'm not even important. I don't enjoy fighting Templars or Mages, I don't enjoy the killing or being attacked by-"

She was interrupted by a rough sounding huff. "Stop and breathe." Oghren's features softened and his powerful arms folded across his chest. "I get it." The man stepped forward and started to smile as he placed a hand to her shoulder. "No, the killing isn't something you ever get used to. I never enjoyed that either, and I'm surprised to even be remembered by a small ten year old girl I rescued so long ago…you know who would normally be remembered in that? The warden. David."

"Well yeah, but he wasn't the one that shielded me." Bianca ran her hand over her upper arm and closed her eyes. She drew in a small breath of air and shrugged. "I'm terrified of the monsters, I freeze up whenever I see one. I'm claustrophobic and have a terrible upbringing…I would hardly call those heroic qualities."

"So what? Do you know what I was before I joined Dave?" She raised her head and caught a glimpse of a smirk. "A rat living off beer day and night at the local pub. People in Orzammar hated me as much as they hate the casteless-"

"You are and were casteless," Varric reminded him.

"Yeah." Oghren let out a grunt and shook his head. "I was nobody's hero either, and certainly like the others in the shadow of the Hero of Ferelden, unless you were Alistair-or Leliana here-we were doomed to be in his shadow. No one would remember us, nobody would thank us, it would always be him." Oghren looked into her eyes and held her gaze, and for a moment, she thought he was looking into her soul.

The man leaned back and pulled his hand from her shoulder. "Imagine my surprise when Leliana tells me that a girl we rescued from the deep roads remembered _me_."

"You stopped." Bianca smiled back at him. "You stopped first, you called and shielded me until the others got to me. So you're my hero."

"And do you know how much that means to me?" Oghren chuckled softly and put his hand to her back, guiding her towards the stone wall. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap as Oghren knelt on one knee and hung his elbow on the edge of the wall. "You don't have to be great to be someone's hero. You don't have to be famous or someone important, you just have to be _there_. To make an impact."

Oghren's eyes moved towards Varric and he turned his head slightly. "My wife, Felsi, and our children? As my kids' father, I'm their hero. Even your own father could be your hero if he wanted, and how? Just by being here, supporting you and caring for you-making an impact in your life."

She held her breath as the tears welled up beneath her eyelids. "Just make an impact in someone's life, kid, and they'll remember you." Oghren stood up and reached for the large axe on his back. "Speaking of which, I dusted this old thing off just for you." Bianca's jaw fell to the floor and her eyes quivered as she watched him lay the axe horizontally on his palms and extend it towards her. "Faith's Edge, my best weapon."

"Y-You're giving me your axe?"

"It's been ages since I've used it. She belongs to someone else now." He smiled at her, and a gleam of light glistened in his eyes. "You say you don't have what it takes to be what everyone sees you as, but all you have to do is impact someone's life in a way that they'll remember you, and while you may never feel 'important'-sure as hell you will be important to somebody."

Bianca stuttered again as she placed her palms beneath the axe's staff. "I don't know what to say." She looked down at the long handle and read the inscription with a trembling breath. Her heart was pounding so fiercely that it might plunge itself from her chest. "I can't believe you're just giving me your axe…" She raised her head to him, furrowed her brow and started to frown. "Why?"

Oghren moved his hands to hers and carefully curled her fingers around the staff. At first, she felt like it would fall from her hands, but after a few seconds, it felt light as air. "Because, this thing you're involved in? Whether or not you believe it, you will change lives, you can be a hero-you already are."

"'Are'? How am I?" She chuckled with disbelief and Oghren stood up. His arms swept out and his shoulders rose and fell.

"You went into the Hinterlands, did you not? You saved the refugees and dispersed a few of those rifts in the sky already, haven't you?"

"Yes…"

"Instead of looking at the Templars or Mages that are now dead as a result, think of it this way…" A lump formed in her neck and her grip on the axe's handle grew tighter. "Every refugee now sheltered in blankets, every life that wasn't snuffed out by the blade of a rogue Templar or the spell of a Mage, and for every person who lives because a demon is dead…."

Oghren pointed a finger at her and squinted his eyes while his mouth twisted into a smirk. "They live, their lives are saved because of your actions. They can look back and they can say without fear that you are the reason they're alive-you are their hero. Even for something as small as collecting food for a starving refugee, they'll remember you for it."

Bianca looked down at the blade, gasping softly as she recalled the pleased faces of the refugees that were rescued went they stopped the rogue Templars and Mages.

It never hit her until now just how much that mattered, to her and to those. The thanks she received from Corporal Vale, the joyful cries of the hungry refugees that received the ram meat; it was all music to her proud ears, and she never thought about it.

"You're already someone's hero, and the more good you do-the more you stand for what's right-the more likely you will become somebody important in the eyes of many…no matter who or what you may have been before."

"I was just a scared little kid lost in the darkspawn caves." She closed her eyes and felt a shiver running through her veins. "Someone that left an abusive family for an abuser. Someone with no meaning, no purpose, no one that cared enough about me…I was ready to take my own life, but Cassandra wouldn't let me…"

Cassandra huffed, and then smirked just as Oghren glanced at her. "Good. No matter what life you had before, no matter the life that you led, you do have a future whether you see it or not. It's up to you to decide where to go from here, regardless of what came before. Just, don't ever give up."

Her cheeks were wet with rivers of tears, and her fingers were tingling the longer she held the axe. "I'll try not to."

"Listen, you may not feel like much, even now if you start to doubt yourself…I can't tell you to think of the good you're doing and expect that to make you feel right in the world, but you do have people here as far as I can tell that are more than willing to shoulder you if they must."

"Thank you for your advice." She stood up and cleared her throat. "It means a lot that you would come all this way just to meet met me. Your axe? It's called Faith's Edge, right?"

"Faith for short, kid. In this crazy world, we all could use some faith." Her heart swelled and she placed it carefully on the holder attached to the back of her armor. She was partially afraid it would shatter into pieces if she wasn't gentle. "And, sorry for the corny line, but I thought I might try and give you some faith."

She chuckled softly and ran her finger across her cheek. "I'm going to try and keep afloat the best I can. It's just stressful, and I've already come from stressful situations. Hell, I'm just glad I don't have to deal with my adoptive parents."

"Marcus and Amelia Cadash?" Oghren crossed his arms and looked towards the sky. "Ah yes, I know a golem who would love to have some words with those two, but I haven't seen her in years."

"You haven't? You haven't kept in touch like Leliana?"

"No. Recent headache aside, David told me I could go be with Felsi and the kids if I wanted to, and that's what I chose to do."

"You must have been good friends with the Hero of Ferelden."

"Yeah, I am. Would have gone with him, but I didn't feel leaving my wife would be right." She saw Leliana bow her head for a second before turning away, but in that last minute there was a glimpse of pain in the woman's eyes. "Anyway, I must get back to my family. I haven't been feeling too well lately, so they've been worried sick."

"Wait? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He held his head high and postured himself again while looking off to the sky with a stern look. The expression broke and he started to laugh. "Ah don't worry about me kid, it's just a headache that I'm able to ignore."

"Okay." Bianca gave him a hug for good measure and brightened when he hugged her back. "Thanks again, and be well."

"You take it easy." Oghren stepped back and reached for her cheek, wiping a tear with his thumb. "And if Leliana gives you a hard time, just let me know." Leliana gasped and flashed a pleasant smile as the dwarf turned and started to leave.

Bianca watched him approach the gate, only to stop and glance back over his shoulder. "Things will get better for you, Bianca, you just have to keep the faith and be open to that better future. It will happen." Her heartbeat skipped and she latched her wrists together behind her back, blushing as she kicked the snow. "See ya, kid."

"Goodbye." Oghren belched loudly and sighed contently before marching off. Behind her, Leliana and Cassandra groaned. Varric approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey? You okay?" She looked at him, his head was in the way of the sun, causing a bright aura to surround him. Everything behind him and near blurred, and he smiled with concern.

"I'm okay." She took a deep breath and looked back in the direction Oghren left. "I think I'm ready to go to Redcliffe now and see what Fiona wanted with us." She reached around her back, placing her hand over the handle of Faith's Edge. A sense of peace came over her as she thought about the conversation with Oghren, and she could hardly believe that she was holding the weapon that once belonged to her hero. "You heard what he said? I might already be important to some people."

"Yeah." Varric's eyelids fell halfway and his smile grew. "You are, and you always will be."

* * *

So a hero's visit, and some good advice. What do you think of it? I hope you do know what that headache refers to, Oghren does have the calling thing too, but I kind of figured he'd be like Alistair, Stroud and a few others, able to either ignore or combat the calling. And Varric in the end there, what are your thoughts? Maybe he means she's important to him? I should probably let you know that there are two sectors, where by the time they're at the ball, they're going to talk about their connection. Also, do you have any thoughts regarding the talk between Harding and Bianca? Oghren? The rest of the chapter?


	13. The Untold Story

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: This chapter is mostly in Varric's perspective, so of course you're going to get some detail as the reader that the characters don't yet have.

* * *

Chapter 13 (The Untold Story)

Iron Bull joined the journey to Redcliffe in place of Cassandra since she was sick, and Bianca thought it would be a good idea to have his help in training her with a broad axe. They were currently taking a break from the travel, so Solas and Varric were sitting on a few rocks and watching the two train.

"It's so different," Bianca complained while swinging the blade into the ground. "I'm used to having a longer blade." Her body shifted with each pant as she gripped the bar of the axe. "Don't even get me started on those overhead leaps you do."

Bull raised his hand up and laughed. "Oh you'll work your way up to those. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it." Bianca leaned her head to the side and lifted the axe with a huff.

"Okay, so what would you have me do?"

Bull looked around, humming softly as he studied the terrain. "There are a few trees you can knock down." He pointed to a group of three thick trees nearby. "I want one vertical strike, then I want one clean horizontal cut. Two separate trees." She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the third.

"There's one more?"

"Oh yeah, that one." Bull scratched his chin and let out a contemplative hum. "I want you to hack the hell out of it. Throw all your energy into the swing."

Varric raised his hand over the side of his mouth, calling out. "Don't drive her too hard over there, Bull. We still have a long way to go." Beside him, Solas started to chuckle. He turned to the elf and narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny, Chuckles?"

"You watch over her as a father, but you will not tell her she's your child." He crossed his arms and looked to Bianca, watching as she made her way to the trees. He didn't have the heart to say anything, or rather, he was far too frightened of many things to tell her.

"This is the world we live in, Solas. Cassandra might have you believe we have more important things to worry about than whose child someone is." Solas eyed him for what felt like an eternity of silence. A feeling of unease came over him and he shrugged as if to deter Solas from this particular talk.

"What is it you're afraid of? What are you holding back?"

Varric ran his hand over his head and slid it down towards his chin, sighing as it passed his mouth. "I don't know. I can't explain it. I might not be what she expects or wants, maybe I'm not what she needs…I don't even know if she wants a father." He dropped his hand to his knee and shook his head. "If I had it my way, she would have been with me."

"You did not give her up?"

It was her mother that gave her up, but because she was married to someone else at the time, she couldn't keep the baby. Varric wanted the child, but at first Bianca swore to him that it would be temporary. He learned the truth, that because she wasn't going to divorce her husband and he was going to leave her, she gave the baby up to a family.

She made him stay with her by telling him that if he stayed with her, she'd tell him the name of the family that had her. Which she did. Mother Bianca promised that as long as he stayed involved in their illicit affair, she would retrieve their daughter-when the time was right. It was morally degrading, and he was ready to end the affair several times.

Still through the years she threatened him, saying that if he left her, she would tell the family to give the child away to someone he couldn't locate, so he could never see her again. So he obliged, waiting throughout the years for the woman to say okay, but fearing that each time he would bring up wanting to find their daughter that he would forever lose the chance, and fearing that if he said one word to her, she would make the call.

Rather there were many fights they had that ended with her threatening to have the Cadash family send the baby away.

Now that his daughter was here, he didn't know what to do. The longer he watched her, the more he thought this was just a dream-or a very cruel jest. "There are some stories…" Varric frowned and his eyes turned down. "Some that I just don't want to tell."

Eventually he might have to explain to Bianca about her mother, and that was a talk he was dreading.

Solas pat him on the shoulder and pointed out to Bianca. "I understand, Varric. Tell me, is she everything you imagined her to be?" Varric gazed at his daughter with a proud smile, watching her stumble when her swing missed the tree. Bull started shaking his head and Bianca laughed nervously.

She appeared to shine in the light, her features were gentle and he couldn't help but to be filled with a sense of love and pride as he watched her take another swing at the tree.

"No." Varric leaned forward, folding is forearms inward while perching his elbows on his knees. "She's much more than that, she's my daughter, and she is remarkable."

"When did you know?"

"It didn't take long." The minute she revealed herself as being from the Cadash house, it clicked. He had some suspicion when he saw her for the first time, and when she introduced herself as Bianca, but her being from the Cadash home cemented it. "Marcus and Amelia don't have other children that are the same age as her, their children are either much older or younger."

"I see." Solas pulled back and stood up. He dusted off his pants and then placed his hands at his waist. "Will you tell her mother?" Varric cringed and shut his eyes. His heartbeat sped up and he slowly shook his head, muttering under his breath.

"I'm going to have to." He was terrified how the woman might react. She had always perceived Bianca as a threat, to his understanding, that the moment he had his daughter in his life it might mean he'd be able to leave her.

He didn't want to tell the woman, but he felt like it would be wrong as it would be cruel not to let her know the whereabouts of her daughter, if she even cared. Then, if he didn't tell her, he knew she'd explode in anger over his keeping their child a secret. Either way, he felt as though he were screwed.

"The truth is that woman doesn't want me to leave. She's a little…I don't know, I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand completely, my friend." Varric smiled tentatively at Solas, grateful the elf wasn't going to push. "Know that I am here whenever you wish to talk."

Bull and Bianca approached the two, so Varric pushed himself up from the rocks. "How was training?" He looked to his daughter with a caring smile. She was breathing heavily and covered in sweat.

"Exhausting," she replied, "But good nonetheless." Bianca took a deep breath and glanced past Varric and Solas. In the distance she could make out a small convoy of four Qunari surrounding a large wooden crate. "Hey look, there's some more Qunari."

Bull narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Tal Vashoth, by the looks of it." Varric turned with a moan. He still had vivid memories of squaring off with Tal Vashoth and the Qunari, and he wasn't thrilled to see them.

Bull stepped closer and gasped suddenly. "My god, they have a prisoner." In the crate was a female Qunari with short horns going out from her head and curved upwards at the very end.

They began walking towards the convoy and took notice of Bull's consistent gaze on the female Qunari. She had beautiful blue eyes and shimmering golden hair. Her face was smooth and looked to be in the shape of a heart.

"She's so beautiful," Bull whispered in a single breath. "How could they take a beautiful woman like that prisoner?" Varric didn't like it either, but his instincts told him there was a reason.

Just as the thought popped into his mind, he saw a flash around the woman's hands. His eyes shot open and he let out a startled gasp as one of the Tal Vashoth poked the woman with a long staff.

"She's a mage," Varric announced. He couldn't get another word out before Bull was rushing for the caravan. His heart stopped and he grabbed his crossbow with a grunt. "Great, more fighting."

Solas whipped out his staff and shot a blast of ice at one of the Tal Vashoth alerted to their presence.

Then with one ferocious roar, Bull smashed through the cage, freeing the prisoner. The female joined the fray, using her magic to quell the Qunari. The fight was over quickly, but for Varric, he ran up to the woman and aimed the bow just in case they just helped a violent prisoner.

"Bull, she's a prisoner, think first."

The woman raised her hands and took a step back. "It's okay, I'm good. My name is Megan Adaar, and I thank you." She lowered to one knee and bowed her head. Bull pushed Varric aside and ran up to the woman.

"That was some sweet fighting you did," Bull marveled in awe. Varric hadn't paid much attention to the woman, but he had to admit, she had displayed some masterful technique. "You're a mage? Is that why you were prisoner?"

Megan closed her hands and stared down at them with a look of scorn. "Yes. I was brought up to fight with a sword, however, and I only use my magic when I absolutely have to." She turned her head over her shoulder and stared at the enemies on the ground. "Those bastards stole my sword and threw it into a lake."

"What happened?" Bianca asked. There was a note of concern in her voice that Varric admired. He was impressed that despite all that this girl had gone through, she still cared for others. "Were you attacked?"

"Yes." Megan crossed her arms and shut her eyes. "The night of the conclave, my clan wanted me to go but my father refused." Her muscles began to tense and a vein bulged from her neck. "Because of his refusal, I woke up that night with my house up in flames. They murdered my parents and I had no choice but to run."

Varric pulled his hand over his mouth and shook his head. Bianca reached out, gingerly placing her hand on the woman's forearm and looking into her eyes. "I'm so sorry you went through that."

"How did they catch you?" Solas inquired. "If you don't mind me asking." Megan frowned and ran her hand over her neck.

"I swore vengeance and went after them, but I was overwhelmed." He couldn't detect dishonesty in her voice, and the way her eyes were quivering, it looked as though she were trying desperately not to cry. "I'm sorry that you got involved, I would never have wished anyone to."

"I'm glad we did!" Bull exclaimed. He spread his arms out and looked over his shoulder. "We were headed to Redcliffe Village." The Qunari approached her with his hand extended. Megan looked at his hand for a moment before flashing a tiny smile and shaking his hand. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

"They destroyed my home, and I'm sure they have others looking for me. I'm on my own…but I can take care of myself, so don't worry about me." Bull turned around, looked at the others squarely and crossed his arms.

"She can benefit the Inquisition. I'm sure of it."

_"Okay,"_ Varric thought while rolling his eyes. _"He's become infatuated with this girl already." _Varric sighed and bowed his head. There was no chance of turning her away if she needed somewhere to go, so he wasn't going turn down Bull's request. "I suppose Leliana or Cullen might be able to find something for you to do out in the field." He ran his hand over his neck and turned towards Bianca. "Bianca? What do you think?"

"Do you want to help us, Megan?" Bianca rubbed her chin and motioned to Bull. "He leads a mercenary group and we're with the Inquisition. We're trying to find some order and peace where the Mages and Templars are fighting." Bull spun on his heels, grinning from ear to ear.

Megan's eyebrow rose and she appeared unsure. "I've seen a lot of chaos while they were transporting me." The woman looked sideways at the chaotic Hinterlands and breathed in slowly. "I imagine if you have something for me, I am indebted as much as I don't want to be in anyone's debt…"

"Certainly." Bull began to walk off, waving his hand in the air. "Come, I'll show you the way back to the Frostbacks." Megan leaned back.

"I think I can find-"

"I insist, let me be your guide."

Varric shook his head and Solas started to laugh. "You may as well," Solas said, "I don't think he's going to give up anytime soon." Megan watched Bull with an endearing look and took a step forward.

"I suppose that will be okay. Thank you again…"

The pair disappeared over the hill, much to Varric's annoyance. They would have to stop somewhere and camp so they could send a messenger bird out for one of the other companions to make their way to them-or wait for Bull to return.

Either way, he was dreading the wait.

Bianca walked ahead of them in pursuit of the nearest campsite. Solas hung back with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Would you be comfortable talking with her while we wait? Tell her you're her father, what have you to lose?"

Varric's eyebrows pulled together and his mouth fell into a frown. "I'm sure I could lose a lot. What if I'm not what she wants? I've never been a father, Solas, I don't even know where to begin."

Solas breathed out and closed his eyes. "You only have to be there for her, but I suppose when the time is right…you will know. As for being a father? Be with her, if she makes a mistake, be understanding. Be compassionate and guide her...if you're upset, don't yell or you'll frighten her. If you love her, it will show. She's your daughter, so treat her with as much compassion as you can. You have her, so keep her safe."

"How do I do that?"

"By being the father she never had."

"Yeah..." He smiled as his gaze fell onto her. "I think I can try that."

* * *

So what are your thoughts? We know by way of the game's storyline that the mother will show up again. What do you think of Solas's advice? And yes, the person they ran into is my female qunari inquisitor that I paired with Bull. It's a cameo only appearance, so the only times you'll see or hear about her in this story are if Bull brings it up. I went with cameo because I thought it might be interesting to see, if they all exist in the same world, then where would they be should they not be the Inquisitor. I digress, onto the more important part of the chapter, do tell your thoughts and observations. Oh I should let you know, while my playthrough of Bianca went to help the Templars, Mages make a bit more sense in this story...you'll see why


	14. Who to Save?

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 14 (Who to Save)

The large gates of Redcliffe stood before them, gilded and heavy, and a guard stood in front with her arms crossed. "I know Cassandra would rather us go straight for the Templars and ignore the mages, but I don't feel right not at least talking to them."

Varric stepped up to her right and shrugged. "You have to go with your gut, Bianca. Always go with your gut." She looked at him, half questioning what he would do. She was almost tempted to ask, but she wanted to at least impress her father with making her own decisions-that way he might actually like her enough to want her around.

"My gut says to come here, but something just feels odd." There was a peculiar feeling in the air, a disconcerting one. She honestly didn't know whether to turn back or proceed. "That rift we just closed…was weird."

"Felt like my arrows were going a little slower than normal."

"What do you think?"

He closed his hands and slanted his eyes. She could see the tension in his muscles and watched his chest expand slowly. "I say we go on ahead, but carefully."

Solas came up behind them, clutching his staff with a tight grip. "I agree. There's a different magic at work here." Bianca braced herself and made the approach through the gates. They were met by one of their scouts, who reported that the mages did not expect them. "That is…peculiar."

Varric's teeth ground together and a low growl slipped between them. "I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." Throughout the walk towards the shed, she felt more and more like turning around to find the Templars, but a talk was only a talk, and she wasn't too thrilled with Seeker Lucius.

She paused before the Gull and Lantern, watching as Varric and Solas moved on ahead. They stopped a few paces before her and turned to face her. "Do you think we should go back?" A lump began to form in her throat, and a slight quivering was felt beneath her chest. "I'm kind of nervous."

Her father looked up to Solas, then back at her with a subtle smile. "It'll be alright, Bee." Her lips parted and her heart thumped into her ribs. The nickname came with a term of endearment that she'd not heard from him before. "We're right here, we won't let anything go wrong."

Her brow furrowed as the corners of her lips slid up. "Okay. Besides, it's just talks." The mages did offer their help in closing the breach, and while she didn't agree with their rebellion nor like all the blood that was shed because of it, she knew an olive branch when she saw one.

Lucius may not even allow the Templars to aid in closing the breach for good, but she still was leaning towards trying to convince him. They were the law of the land, like it or not, and they kept the order. Their tactics were terrible and they could do with some restructuring, but the mages were just as to blame no matter how innocent they claimed to be.

"Things like this make me grateful our kind can't use magic," she muttered. Varric laughed and Solas smirked. "How bad could magic get, though?" She hurried between the two and moved swiftly for the door.

Cassandra lagged behind them, still feeling under the weather. When Bull returned and they requested someone else join them, she insisted on coming. Bianca worried for her due to the woman's pale and sweaty complexion, but Cassandra did insist she was getting better.

"The heart of the rebel mages," Cassandra stated with a grunt, "I'm not sure I like it either, to be honest." Bianca feigned a smile as Cassandra pushed open the wooden door. "You can't help everybody, just keep that in mind. Not to mention, whoever helps us will probably affect how people see us in the long run…"

"Oh…"

Varric shot Cassandra a glare and then spoke with a softer tone. "Don't worry about pleasing anybody. Do what feels right."

The smell of alcohol and vomit was piercing and it stirred a familiar nauseating feeling in her gut. Her hand placed over her stomach and she closed her eyes, pushing through the bar the best that she could.

When they did reach Fiona, the woman reacted with surprise that they were there. When they brought up the visit, they were more startled to hear the woman hadn't been in Val Royeaux for some time. "Well, that is peculiar." Varric crossed his arms and swayed to the right. "We clearly saw you, but maybe I'm getting so old I need my eyes checked."

"You're not that old, Varric."

"I am old enough to be your father, Bee." Solas and Cassandra turned their gazes to him while Fiona's eyebrow rose. Bianca ignored the comment, though chuckling on the inside.

"Well anyway Fiona, we came here because you-or whoever we met at Val Royeaux-offered to lend the mages to close the breach."

There was a familiar glint of pain in the woman's eyes, it was yet another issue that just didn't sit right for her. "We are…" The grand enchanter folded her hands over each other before her waist and bowed her head. "In no position to help you, I'm afraid."

"What? Well…who would we even talk to?"

The door behind them moved and Bianca spun around with a start. "That would be me now." A man in a red cloak with devilish looking horns sweeping up from his cape moved towards them. Wrinkles framed his eyes and mouth, and two squiggly lines seemed embedded on his forehead. "I am Magister Alexius."

His wounded gaze fell on her and squinted. "I hope I did not startle you, Herald." She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head.

"Call me Bianca, and you didn't…" This was a Tevinter Magister. She knew very little about them, but just enough to know they weren't exactly on the good side of things.

Fiona raised her head and let out a sigh. "I have…agreed to an alliance with Tevinter, seeking their help." Varric cursed and promptly explained how wrong Fiona was to trust them. "I saw no other choice."

Alexius explained the situation, which sounded more like Fiona had just sold her people into slavery. Her chest grew tight as she thought of the abuse the mages would suffer at his hands, abuse that nobody deserved.

He went on to explain how he needed resources and might be unable to lend the mages that were needed, which furthered the unease within her. "It sounds like you want to control them." She closed her hands and narrowed her eyes. "To put them in servitude."

"A small price to pay."

Just then a taller man with a brown faded haircut stumbled into the room and crashed into her. Her muscles tensed and she grabbed him, clutching tight and nearly digging her claws into his back. "My son!" Alexius was quick to come to the man's aid, helping him away; but before she could reach them, Bianca felt a small piece of paper being slipped into her hand.

"I don't mean to trouble anyone," the man said as they staggered away. Bianca opened up her hand and peered down at the sheet of paper while Fiona and some of the mages took their leave.

"It says we're in danger and we need to go to the chantry."

Varric snorted and placed his crossbow on the holder on his back. "I don't like it, it's suspicious."

The note was clearly for her, but she shared her father's skepticism. "Well whatever it is, we may as well check…" If it was a trap, they would be able to figure something out.

Cassandra led the way to the Chantry while Varric and Solas walked just diagonal from her sides, forming a triangle around her. She felt oddly secure, despite how this would have normally annoyed the hell out of her if someone made a protective formation around her.

Perhaps it was due to Varric being her father. Even though she doubted he was aware of the connection, it was nice. It was also good to have Cassandra guarding her front. "Guys, I don't know if there's that much danger to us right now."

"Like I said before," Cassandra replied hastily, "We're in the capitol of the mage rebellion-the Tevinters kicked out the Arl and have taken the Mages under their control and influence…there's danger everywhere."

"Yeah, I really don't like the part about them controlling the mages." Mages or not, they were still people who were clearly going to be abused by a group of people that sounded like monsters in every description she ever heard of them. "Based on what I've heard, Tevinters make Lantos seem like a puppy."

Varric chuckled and the group stopped in front of the Chantry door. "Having seen Lantos, and having dealt with Tevinters first hand in the past, I'd say that comparison is an insult to both parties."

"You've dealt with them in the past?"

"Yes. A friend of ours, Fenris, was a slave to them. He was put through a lot of abuse growing up, and even had these glowing veins etched into his body." Bianca opened her mouth and felt a shuddering sensation shooting down her spine. "It doesn't feel good, I can tell you, being manipulated…controlled…forced to do things out of fear of what could happen."

She bit down on her lower lip, watching painstakingly as Solas placed his hand onto Varric's shoulder. The look in her father's eyes said he spoke from experience, but she didn't want to ask for fear of intruding. Still she knew exactly what he meant, since she was brought up that same way.

"Whether Marcus and Amelia, or Lantos and my clan…I know what you mean." She closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath as a visual of her clan and their horrendous abuse entered her mind.

Her forehead creased as she pictured them forming a dome around her, striking her and spitting at her until Dasher would order them to stop. "D-Dasher would always protect me. He tried to, anyway."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Varric looking at her, full of compassion. "I am sorry you went through what you did." She smiled sadly as he took a deep breath. "If I had my way, you would never have gone through that mess. If I can, and I will, I promise you will not have to deal with that ever again."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she started to say something, stopping herself just before she called him her father. "I…" Her hands began to tremble and her heart was racing like wildfire. "I think…" She turned away and quickly wiped away the tears on her cheek. "We should get going."

Once inside they found yet another rift and a tall man with a strange hairdo and curly moustache trying to fend off the demons. Her heart stopped as the mage obliterated one demon and gasped at them. "Oh you made it! Now if you would, hurry up and seal this please…"

They made quick work of the demons and Bianca hurried to close the rift, groaning with disgust as she felt the energy flowing through her body. She hated the mark on her hand and prayed she could be rid of it one day as she had not yet accustomed to it yet.

"Ah it's about time." The man walked up to them and Bianca stepped back when she heard Varric say something about the man potentially being Teventer. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dorian Pavus, of House Pavus."

Varric took a step forward, keeping his crossbow out and pointed towards the ground. He cast a suspicious eye on Dorian, grunting when the man cracked a joke about a family resemblance between he and Bianca.

"I'm going to say this once, I am of Tevinter, and Alexius's former apprentice. I helped to develop the magic that he is using…time magic." Bianca's eyes opened wider and Solas scoffed.

"Truly an amazing accomplishment, if anyone could ever accomplish such a thing."

"Well he has. You saw how the rifts are affected, did you not?" Dorian glanced at Bianca and furrowed his brow. "I called you here because Alexius is obsessed with you." She moved her hand towards the bottom of her throat.

Varric uttered a grown, turning his lips into a snarl. "Obsessed _how_ exactly?" Dorian's eyebrow rose and he quickly scratched at the back of his neck. He then lowered his hand and pointed to Bianca's.

"Nothing so creepy as it is an obsession with the mark on your hand." She looked down at her open palm, shuddering at the gaping scar for a moment before pulling on her glove to cover it up.

"Just what I need," she muttered, "More unwanted attention because of this stupid thing. I hate it."

"I look at it as a gift." She narrowed her eyes and placed her hands around her waist. A growl vibrated from her throat and Dorian took a step back. "Touch subject I'm sure, but either way, I called you here because Alexius intends to use this time magic…but I don't trust it."

As he started to explain the matter, Alexius's son, Felix, entered the room looking much better than he had before. They proceeded to explain in more detail what was happening, details too farfetched to believe and too grisly to imagine.

He ended it off saying that he didn't trust the alliance Fiona made and wanted the Inquisition's help in stopping Alexius's crazed plan.

There was so much information that plagued her mind and rendered her silent until they could return to Haven. Even discussing the matters with the war council, she couldn't get the feelings of disgust and nausea to leave her enough to even consider whether the Templars or Mages would be better politically for the Inquisition.

Cullen wanted to go to the Templars while Leliana suggested they render aid from the Mages. It all led to one giant headache which made Bianca depart to her room.

Varric knocked on her door and entered slowly, leaving his hand on the knob. "Hey." Bianca was seated on the bed with her back against the wall and her forearms over her stomach. She looked off to the left and her eyes turned downcast. "You okay, Bee?"

"'Bee'? Why Bee?" A smile twisted on her face and she looked out the side of her eyes as Varric approached the edge of the bed. "Not that I'm complaining, I like the nickname."

"Short for Bianca." He sat on the edge and his hands folded over his knees. Varric looked to the window of the room and breathed in deep. "How are you feeling? I know Cassandra said things got a bit heated in the war room."

"Things got overheated." She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it back and holding it in the position of a ponytail. Her hair wasn't long enough for one, though she thought about growing it out. The back of her neck was coated in so much sweat that her hair was sticking like glue. "Can I be honest? I don't care so much about the political ramifications…I don't know who to help."

"It is a tough choice."

"Lucius actually requested an audience with us, and then Alexius apparently sent a letter in stating he wants to meet me. Alone…" Varric's brow furrowed and she hugged her stomach tighter. "I don't want to go alone."

"You don't have to, and you're not going to." He looked at her an reached over, patting her on the knee. "What does your gut tell you as far as helping either one? You don't have to do it for political reasons if you don't want to."

She let go of her hair and leaned forward, swaying her hands into the air. "I agree with the Templars. I think both sides are getting far too violent, but I think the mages are rebelling without concern for who gets hurt."

He pressed his lips together and started to nod. "Both sides are, actually. The Templars are trying to act to protect citizens from the rebel mages, but lately, it seems like they're going insane as well…but they didn't blow up a chantry and kill a bunch of uninvolved innocents."

She jerked her head back, widening her eyes. "What?"

"A mage by the name of Anders, back in Kirkwall, started this whole rebellion by blowing up a chantry and killing a bunch of esteemed people." His eyes and nose scrunched a bit and his shoulders dropped like the slopes of a mountain. "It was terrible. Everybody went crazy. Thane had to decide the same thing, help Meredith or help Orsino…"

"And he went with the Templars, right?"

"That decision wasn't easy. He didn't agree with Meredith, didn't like her, but she had been driven insane by red lyrium and was controlling the Templars…she was a threat to them, and Thane decided to save the Templars."

"What about the mages?" She crossed her legs and leaned forward, pushing her hands on the blanket. Varric rubbed the back of his head and closed his eyes.

"They claim oppression drives them to use blood magic. Blood magic sacrifices the living and gives them immense power. They claim to be backed into a corner." He tensed and shook his head. "I don't care how oppressed you think you are, if you're willing to turn yourself into some kind of monster by killing a bunch of people just to make your point, then you've crossed a very dangerous line…" He dropped his hand and his eyes opened partially. "In the end, it was best for the safety of not only the Templars, but the innocent civilians in Kirkwall, to put both Meredith and Orsino down like rabid dogs."

"I don't like blood magic-or magic in general-it frightens me." Her legs bent upwards and she wrapped her arms around her legs to pull her knees into her chest. "Mages don't scare me so much as magic itself. I don't like it, I don't like the things it does to people."

"So would you want to help the Templars?"

Her eyes darted out and her head shook from side to side. "You said I should go with my gut. I…I feel like those people don't deserve to be abused by Alexius, and I feel like they're going to. Dorian has something planned, a way to save them from the abuse. I want to save them…"

Varric smiled at her and a glint of pride glistened in his eyes. "So, it's a personal decision for you?"

"Yeah. I really want to get help from the Templars because I think they're the best thing keeping people safe in the long run, but I can't stand by and let someone get abused. I just can't."

"I agree." Varric leaned back and his shoulders touched to the wall behind him. "Maybe Lucius can be reasoned with afterwards, maybe not. Whatever you decide to do, you have my support, but I agree that helping to keep people out of abusive situations may be the path best taken."

"So it's settled." She had her doubts, but now that she spoke to Varric she felt a bit more confident. There was a terror in her stomach that was difficult to swallow, as though something could go horribly wrong, but she couldn't let that stop her. "I want to help the mages because I think they're in more need of rescue."

Lucius seemed like he'd gone insane anyway, but the Templars weren't being abused as much as she was sure the Tevinters would abuse the mages. Not to mention, under their control, the rebel mages might just break out even worse and everything would go to hell.

"I'll let everyone know." He stood from the bed, flashing one last smile. "Until then, do get some rest." She watched him depart. Her heart sank as he stopped and took one last look at her before walking out.

Bianca lowered her head, placing her chin on her knees and speaking aloud in a whisper tone. "Thanks, Dad." She closed her eyes, causing the tears in her eyelids to splash out. "Why is it so hard to tell him? Maybe it's better that I don't…I won't be hurt or left behind because he rejects me."

* * *

So she's siding with the mages, you know what happens, it will probably be a very hellish thing for her. Rather she's not "siding" with them, but she wants to keep them from being abused and controlled by the Tevinter people. What are your thoughts through this chapter? Do you think they're just incredibly oblivious? Do you think after the thing with the mages, after the thing with Corypheus (He is about to appear in about two chapters) that they will start to realize it's time to talk? What could Varric be holding back on?


	15. Alexius's Hell

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Okay I'm forgetting some scenes, I'm also doing some moving downstairs in my apartment building, so if you see updates slowing it's because I'm both getting ready to move and redoing Bianca's playthrough and with a more authentic feeling. (This story was inspired halfway through Bianca's playthrough, my game Bianca romanced Blackwall-for one example of the differences-and went to save the Templars. I also have a Lantos playthrough for shits and giggles, he's romancing Harding, she's softening him up and Varric hates him). Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 15 (Alexius's Hell)

In answer to Alexius's request to meet and negotiate with her, Bianca travelled with Varric and Cassandra. Because they were joining Dorian and they wanted to keep attention low, it was best decided that Solas hung back as Dorian was a mage.

He would lay in wait to spring the ambush on Alexius at the right moment. With Cassandra and Varric at her side, she felt the most secure. Though a feeling of panic could be felt growing from deep within, she told herself there was nothing to fear.

"Alexius asked for you alone," stated the guard. He was firm in his stance and appeared ready to attack if needed. Bianca looked at Varric, then to Cassandra. She didn't like being alone with anybody, so even if it was an option, there was no way in hell she was leaving them behind.

"If he wishes to talk with me, my associates are to be present. Where I go, they go." She narrowed her eyes and hoped the plaintiveness of her voice would come across to the guard. "Besides…" She crossed her arms and motioned at them with her head. "Look at them, do you honestly think either of them are going to let me walk in there by myself?"

As expected, the man simply stared for several seconds before turning and guiding them to where Alexius waited. The room was a typical large throne room and guards stood in rows of three on either side of them.

Alexius's right cheek was perched on his right knuckles and his eyes stared down in annoyance at Cassandra and Varric. The man mustered a smile as if he didn't think she saw the disdain on his face.

"Ah Herald, so good to see you and your associates again."

Varric's head tilted to the side and he raised his voice above a scoff. "You must be insane if you think I'm letting her around you when you ask for her 'alone'." He stepped forward and pat his chest with a closed hand. "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to us as well."

Alexius stared back and began to chuckle. "And Felix calls me a mother hen." He stood up and took a step down towards them, spreading his arms out into the air. "I'm glad you decided to come…I'm sure you have some questions."

"I do." Bianca closed her hands and took a step forward, moving past Varric. "Why are you so damned interested in me? You and everyone it seems."

"Because of the mark on your hand, the one you use to close the rifts." She opened her hand up and looked down at it with a grimace. The pulsing in her hand was barely noticeable when she wasn't focusing on it, but when she did focus, it seemed much more vibrant than it truly was. "You harbor a power that you know nothing about, it does not belong to you but to the master."

"Master? Who is this master? What is your plan?"

Alexius didn't offer much more through their conversation, but she got the gist of it. He wanted to see her destroyed, but then, she couldn't help but wonder what else was new. "You, this 'master' of yours?" She walked forward, spreading her arms out. "If you want me dead, you may as well join the list, because I'm sure there's plenty of people racing to be first up…my ex, for that matter."

"Then I would be happy to oblige him."

"Something tells me he wants to be the one to finish me, if he even gets close enough." Her shoulders rose and fell as she heard a series of grunts from behind. "Your plan is pretty much kaput, whatever it may be." Alexius looked up with a start, gasping as Dorian made his way to the group.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I couldn't help not to make a grand entrance." Dorian smirked and bowed. The act brought a smile to Bianca, no matter how small it was, she felt a bit more comfortable. "This thing you've got going on Alexius, it is madness."

An argument broke out between the two men, but Dorian seemed to be handling the situation well enough. That was, until Alexius started to tear open another rift.

Bianca felt a sharp pain in her hand and began to feel a violent wind pushing her towards the rift. Varric called out from behind her; his voice was laced with terror. Dorian cried out as well and used some magic to try and counter whatever was happening.

Her limbs flailed and her mouth opened for a scream, but only air escaped. Her eyes were blinded by a flash of light, and her body was thrown about like a ragdoll.

When it was over, she tried to adjust her vision to look around for the others. Numbness penetrated her body and the panic she felt earlier was now flaring out of control. "Dad…" Her eyes adjusted and she could see she was trapped in a cell that was flooded with water. "Cassandra? Dad?"

Her heartbeat was vibrating out of control and when she thought she was alone, she began to scream at the top of her lungs. Sweat ran along her face and she looked left and right, trembling with fear and confusion.

"No need to scream." Dorian's voice snapped her back to reality and she twisted around, demanding to know where they were. The man stood up and craned his neck. "I am not sure where is the question, but when. Alexius tried to open a rift, but I tried to deflect it…it may have sent us through time."

"Time? What?" The quivering of her heart quickened and her eyes frantically scanned the area. "No that…that can't be." She refused to believe they were lost in time, even less so that they may not be able to get back. "What about the others? Varric, Cassandra, if we came through-"

"Then they would be with us. Since I don't see them…" Her hands flew over her mouth and she struggled not to let her panic show. Dorian paused for a moment and furrowed his brow. "A second ago, you were calling out for your father. Why?" She lowered her hands and shook her head.

"It's nothing."

"No. No it's not nothing. You're panicking, and one of the first people you call out for is your dad. Was your dad with us?"

She remained silent. She closed her fists tight and bowed her head. Dorian studied her closely and started to reach for her shoulder, but she pulled away at the last minute. "We'll find them, we'll find a way back."

"What if we don't?"

"Let's not focus on that."

She ran her hands over her throbbing head, groaning at the horrific visual of Varric and Cassandra being hit by the explosion. If they weren't here, then it likely meant they didn't survive.

The more she thought about it, the more she quaked with fear. "I am certain the rift only pulled us in," Dorian said calmly. She pulled her hands from her face and choked on a breath of air. "It is probable they survived, I am sure lady Cassandra and your father are alright."

"You misheard…I didn't say 'dad'." Dorian raised an eyebrow and gave her a skeptical look. She turned away and ignored the fact that he clearly didn't believe her. It was more that she didn't want to talk about it, not now. "Please, let's just figure out what to do."

"Agreed."

They raced through the castle, horrified by the red lyrium that was growing throughout the area. Eventually they found Fiona, who was glowing red from the lyrium and clearly on her last leg of life.

Alexius and the mages had been using her to farm red lyrium, and it was highly likely they used others to do the same. Fiona mentioned Leliana was alive and captive somewhere, which was a great relief for her, and she furthered that relief by saying the two that were with her a year prior were around as well.

With that she raced through the lower halls, calling out Varric's name in hopes he would hear. They managed to reach a hallway where she could hear someone humming a soft tune, it was deep and sounded like her father.

"Dad!" She rounded the corner and froze in horror when she saw Varric. He was seated with his back against the bars of a cell, he had a reddish glow around him and looked to be incredibly weak.

Bianca trembled as she walked forward, her chest began to constrict around her heart and she felt her knees beginning to give out beneath her.

Varric stood up and turned around. His eyes were red and full of pain. "Bianca?" He shook his head in disbelief and started to mutter. "No, it can't be. That-That's impossible. You-You're-" His eyes slammed shut and he started to shake.

Bianca gripped the bars and peered through them. A whimper fled her quivering lips. "It's me. I promise you it's me."

"I can't bring myself to say it." He reached through the bars, taking hold of her hand. "I must have fired a million arrows the day I lost you. A million one wouldn't have been enough…." His eyebrows rose in the center. "I am so sorry that I couldn't protect you. There are so many things I wanted to tell you, so many things that needed to be said."

Unable to stand any longer, her knees caved and she dropped to the ground. Dorian placed a hand to her shoulder and she looked up at him with her vision blurred by frantic tears.

Varric leaned his head against the bars of his cell. His hands curled around them and tears flooded his dry and cracked skin. "I see your ghost every day, I have for the last year. You…told me you were scared of magic, I should have done more to protect you. I should have done more for you." Her heart stopped and her eyes shot open.

Did Varric know she was his child? Was he talking like he'd lost his daughter and not just a friend or an acquaintance?

The trembling in her hands started to slow as she turned her head towards him, but her throat was too dry for her to speak. "We didn't die," Dorian replied calmly. "We were pushed forward in time. All of this isn't real."

"That's what you don't understand." Varric's eyes narrowed and he looked up at Dorian. "It was real for those of us that went through this nightmare. I _saw_ her die that day." Varric's hands closed tight and he smacked the bar with an angry growl. "I failed her, I was there for a short time in her life and I couldn't protect her. What kind of…"

On the other hand all of this could be a realization he'd come to over the year, or at the very least the minute she wound up calling him 'dad' without even thinking. She was in such a frenzied state thinking that she'd lost him before she could even get to know him that she was spouting off without thought.

"We're going to reverse this," Dorian said firmly. "We're going to find Alexius and go back, to stop this from happening."

Varric huffed and crossed his arms. "I put a scar in his chest and on his cheek that day, barely missed his heart. My shots won't miss their mark this time."

They let Varric out and found Cassandra nearby, who also spoke in shock and disbelief over seeing them. Bianca felt responsible for the state they were in and hardly said much to them because of her own reservations. She hadn't gone a year without Varric, and even now she was scared.

What would it matter if she said anything to him now? He was dying and she would be going right back to the time when he didn't think of her as he does now.

Finding Leliana made the pain almost unbearable. The woman was horrendously scarred from the torture she'd experienced over the year, and she was bitter and cold-much different from the warm girl that held her in the deep roads.

Several Venatori agents scoured the place with pits of the key to Alexius's throne room, so they fought through the Venatori as much as they could. The castle looked like a pile of debris in every room, and the courtroom revealed a broken and scar torn sky that looked far worse than the breach itself.

The more they travelled, the more stricken with grief she became. She had her doubts that Dorian's plan would work, but she prayed that it would, and the first thing she wanted to do when she got back was hold her father close.

She hardly cared about anything else that was going on: Whether it was this 'Elder One' that had been mentioned or the assassination of Empress Celene in Orlais.

They did confront Alexius, and they fought him to the death; but just as the nightmare seemed to be coming to a close, a horde of demons were waiting for them on the other side.

Leliana removed her bow and Varric turned towards Bianca. "You guys finish the spell to go back." Her muscles tensed and the ache in her chest flared up without warning. "We'll hold them off."

She shook her head, unwilling to watch her father die. "They'll kill you. I-I can't…" He placed his hand in hers and cast a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay."

"We're already dead," Cassandra said. Bianca gasped once and looked into her father's pain filled gaze. Over the duration of this nightmare, he'd been cringing from the pain of the lyrium in his body, and every moan he made she was certain she felt.

"I finally found you, and you're going to die?" She closed her hand around his. "I'm trying to be strong, but I can't. I-I've never been strong enough in my life."

He pulled her into a fatherly embrace and spoke with a gentle whisper. "But you are." He heart pulsed out as a warm feeling came over her. "You've been through enough, you are strong. You just have to believe in yourself."

"But I need you."

"The world was chaotic before all this, and when you go back, I will be there. You could make it even if I wasn't there."

"It's too hard."

"No it isn't." He pulled back and her eyes slid upwards into his. A smirk curled on his face, and his shoulders rose partially. "You're a Tethras, there's nothing we can't handle."

A sob stuck in her throat as she took a small step away from him and cupped her hand over her mouth. "We haven't much time," Dorian shouted, "We must hurry or we're all dead."

"You're going to die…"

"I suppose." Varric spread his arms out and grabbed his crossbow. "But I made the decision long ago that I would die before anything happens to you. Now go on…"

Cassandra grabbed Bianca from behind and pulled her to Dorian. She reached her hand out and held back a scream as she watched her father charge madly into the oncoming horde of demons.

Cassandra, who had already become one of her closest friends, was next. By now she'd been crushed underneath the weight of grief and could hardly take much more.

"Go now," she heard Leliana utter, "You have as much time as I have arrows." She raised her head with a whimper as Leliana stepped before her. "I helped ensure you lived in those deep roads, and I will ensure it here today. Go back and make sure this world never is."

"So it _was_ you, I only ever suspected…"

"It was." She heard the twang of the bow as Leliana fired a shot into the head of the nearest demon. "Now go!" Bianca took a step forward, watching Cassandra fly to the ground. Varric leapt over Cassandra and landed with a painful shout on his right knee. He grabbed it and raised his head, letting out a blood curdling scream as the demons descended on him.

"Dad." She lunged forward and a cry echoed from her lips as Dorian grabbed her from behind and pulled her towards an open rift.

_You're a Tethras, there's nothing we can't handle._

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying the heaving before she could begin to hyperventilate. When she opened her eyes, she watched her last hero fall. "I will make sure none of this happens."

She pulled away from Dorian and followed him through the rift. Her muscles tensed and her glare turned sharp as they stepped out in the familiar room where Alexius and the others were waiting.

Varric's crossbow was drawn and his face covered in sweat, much like Cassandra who was standing above somebody. "Alexius." The man saw her and fell to his knees. Varric and Cassandra cried out upon hearing her voice and instantly ran up to her. "Is that all you got? My ex could do better…"

If by better, she meant creating a hellish world and successfully killing her father and closest friend as well as one of her personal heroes, then she would be stretching the truth just a bit. Still, Alexius didn't know that and she wanted him to feel like the failure he was.

Either way, Lantos likely survived even that hellish year. The man was slick and resourceful enough to survive the conclave and almost every disaster, as well as sneaking past the Inquisition security points. It would be hard to believe he wouldn't have managed to live out Alexius's hell.

"No," Alexius said with a groan, "It's over. I've failed. I…could not save my son." She'd seen Felix in the future, and the man had become so disfigured and sickly that he wasn't the same person. Alexius's entire plan had been to alter time to try and save his son, but things went too far out of hand when the Elder One wouldn't give him what he was promised.

Felix turned away from his father, shaking his head. "We all die eventually, Father. You must learn to accept that. You spent my final days obsessing with trying to find a way to cure the uncurable when all I really needed was a father."

His words chilled her core, haunting her as she turned her eyes to Varric. Seeing him standing there, alive, filled her with such a state of bliss that she wanted to hold onto him and never let go. There were things that needed to be settled first with Alexius, however.

Before she had time to say much else, the doors flew open and the royal guard of Ferelden entered. Bianca's heart stopped and her jaw fell open as she watched the mighty King Alistair following them in.

"Oh my god," she whispered, "I'm in the presence of the King of Ferelden?" She hoped no one heard her, but wasn't surprised when she saw Cassandra smirk. Alistair stopped before her and cast a smile upon her.

"Bianca Cadash, is it? Leliana sent me a letter recently…it appears you're the young girl we rescued from the darkspawn. Impressive that you should be here today, I'm honored."

"No." She stuttered and cleared her throat to try and clear up the stuttering. "I'm honored." She moved her hand over her chest and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You've recused the mages from Tevinter grip. Had I known the girl my friends rescued would become a hero, I would have joined them in the Deep Roads." He chuckled and shook his head. "Unfortunately I was ill the day they went in, and Oghren wished to go as they were in pursuit of his wife." Alistair closed his eyes and sighed. "A long story nevertheless. You'll forgive me, I didn't come to reminisce."

"It's okay."

"I'm sure Leliana will be taking good care of you. That woman was worried about that family they put you back with, but it appears you've turned out well enough."

"Uh…" She glanced sideways and shrugged. "Sure." She didn't want to worry him by saying the family wasn't good, and Leliana had been right to worry. "So the um, the rebel mages."

"Right." Alistair turned to Fiona and his serene expression changed almost on a dime to that of great anger. "You kicked my uncle out of his home, made a mockery of Ferelden hospitality. There is not much I have to say." Fiona started to protest, but the King wasn't hearing of it. "You and your people are banished from Ferelden."

"But we haven't anywhere to go," Fiona complained. Alistair crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her. Dorian spoke up, suggesting that the Inquisition could benefit from their help-a reminder of the reason Bianca came in the first place.

Alistair lifted his gaze to her. "Ah yes. I'll leave what happens to you in the capable hands of the Inquisition, perhaps they will show you more mercy than I am feeling at the moment?"

In that moment she could feel all eyes in the room turning onto her expectantly. A great fear seized her as she realized this was her decision to make. "What will you do with them?" Dorian asked. "Will you punish the mages for their rebellion, or take them as allies?"

"I-I don't know, I…" She looked around the room and rested her gaze on Varric and Cassandra. She could take the mages as prisoners of the Inquisition for the rebellion they started, but what good would it do to shackle them up? "That nightmare…the horror we saw in there…was because of abusive magic."

"Let us ally with you," Fiona stated, "And I will ensure my people are kept in check."

"I say penalize them," Cassandra snorted, "But in the end I'll leave it up to you. You're a friend, you're capable, I will stand by you."

When Varric smiled at her, she felt a wave of warmth and euphoria flood through her veins. She remembered his advice from before, and knew what the best decision would be.

"You can come as allies to the Inquisition, not as prisoners, _but _you are to be on a probationary period." She looked at Fiona, hoping the decision was best. Fiona nodded.

"I understand, and I thank you. I hope you will not regret your decision."

King Alistair said a few more words before giving a farewell, and Fiona took the mages to follow the scouts of the Inquisition. Dorian also gave his leave, saying that he would meet up with them at Haven at some point, since he was interested in closing the breach in the sky for good.

Cassandra left with him to show him the way, leaving Varric and Bianca by themselves. "I knew you could do it," Varric said with a smile, "You doubt yourself too much but you're capable of making your own decisions and finding your way through trouble."

Bianca's eyes welled up with tears and she watched him turn around to start heading back to Haven with her. She wanted to tell him everything, but even now she was scared that the way he was in the nightmarish world was something he'd arrived at later.

Even now, she was scared of so many things. So she called out to him and he stopped to turn, but without saying a word she threw her arms around him in a tight hug while letting her tears flow down her cheeks.

Varric hugged her back. Her body began to tremble and she refused to speak for fear of stuttering or being unable to form any coherent sentences, but speech was unnecessary in this moment as she was just happy that he was alive and one nightmare had been averted.

"I'm here, Bee. I'm here."

"You died. You died trying to buy time for me to get back…"

"Yeah." Varric tightened his hug and chuckled. "That sounds like something I'd do."

* * *

So was that every bit as intense as you thought? There's a lot that happened here, and unfortunately for as intelligent as Bianca should be her doubt and insecurity clearly causes her to be oblivious at times...Future Varric essentially told her he knew her to be his daughter. I'm torn now though, I thought about the balcony scene of the Palace being where the reveal is, but maybe it should be earlier than that.


	16. Hearts Shall Burn

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Yeah the title, I couldn't think of anything better. I could have gone with the obvious and said "Corypheus" but he's not necessarily the dominant theme in this chapter, he's a catalyst. How unimportant he must feel...I kid, enjoy the chapter

* * *

Chapter 16 (Hearts Will Burn)

The clicks of Varric's bow echoed in his target hall, and the arrows hit the targets on the wall with a deafening crash. Sweat poured down his face as he practiced his dodging maneuvers and quick footed steps while firing off successive rounds of ammunition. His fury and focus had grown so deep that he barely noticed Solas entering into his sanctum.

"You should be out there, Varric." He flinched and lowered the bow, huffing out continuous breathless pants. His narrow gaze focused on the targets and his mouth twisted into a snarl. "Be out there celebrating with your daughter. Why are you in here, worrying about training?"

"It's not training so much as it is a release." Varric laid his crossbow at his feet and swept his clammy hands down his shirt. "I almost lost my daughter back there. I almost lost her, I thought I had. I should have been protecting her, but I didn't." He turned around and looked up at the man. "She doesn't even know I'm her father, does she? What kind of father can't protect his child from danger? If she knew I was her father, what must she think of me, letting her be put in that situation?"

"Varric…"

"Hell, the last twenty years of her life." He walked past Solas and turned on a faucet where water was pouring from a nearby stream. It had been some mechanical thing he hooked up to make a pipeline from the stream to his training hall. "What kind of father doesn't fight for his daughter?" He pushed his hands beneath the running water and splashed it onto his face with a groan.

"You were unable, I thought."

"Screw that." He slammed his fist down on the wall and shut his eyes. Veins bulged from his neck and forehead as a deep feeling of anger and resentment built up in him. "I wanted to take her in, to raise her, but that wench wouldn't let me. All because she didn't want to end our affair."

Solas raised his hands and reached out, but stopped short of Varric's shoulders. "It wasn't your fault, Varric." Varric pushed away from the wall and raised a finger towards Solas's chest.

"It was. I should have fought harder." He slashed his hand through the air, shaking his head and growling. "Do you know how many times I thought about marching into the Cadash house and taking my daughter back?"

"You would have been arrested for kidnapping."

He moved his hands to his face and groaned out in frustration. "I know." His hands slid down his face and his eyebrows closed together. "And then she would have gone right back to Bianca. Her mother. Who would have sent her back to the Cadashes…or somewhere else…"

He moved past the elf and stared down at his bow. The tone in his voice fell quiet and his nostrils opened a bit. "Her mother's name is Bianca. That woman had a hand in making this crossbow and told me it was a 'gift' because I couldn't have our daughter at the time."

"You've named your crossbow 'Bianca'." Solas raised an eyebrow and stared down at the weapon. "You named it after…"

"I named it for my daughter." He didn't want to tell Solas anything about it, but right now he needed somebody to talk to, and Solas was the only person he felt would understand anything. "That woman….promised me that if I stayed with her, when the time was right she'd find a way for us to be together and she would take Bianca back…"

His hand moved over his mouth and his body began to shake. "If I left her, she'd tell the Cadash family to give Bianca up to somebody else and I would never see my daughter." Varric dropped his hand and looked towards the ceiling as the tears welled up beneath his eyelids. "I fought her tooth and nail many times. I hated being the other man in a relationship, I felt sick about it, but every time I tried to break up with her-"

"She would use your child against you."

"Yeah." He sat down next to the wall and brought the back of his head against it. Solas moved beside him, carefully setting his hand to his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry."

"I made a mistake." Varric shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to hide the tears that were burning his retinas. "I entered a relationship with a woman that was married off to someone else because she spun me a tale that she was unhappy and wanted someone who would take care of her."

"I see."

"She didn't reveal to me until _after_ we got into the relationship that neither of their families believed in separation. We would have to keep up the affair while she was married…"

"Then she got pregnant? With your child?"

"Yes. She's never been active with that man-that was a marriage of convenience." Varric rolled his eyes and dropped his hand. "He's got his own concubines. I guess I'm the only one that feels guilty about the whole situation. Either way, she told me she couldn't keep the child of another man and had to give it up…"

"Why did she not first consider letting you raise her?"

"Because I wanted to end the affair." More than that, the woman had already given the child up to another family when she told him about the decision. "She said 'when the time is right, we can all be a family'. I just had to stay with her and keep up the affair. I never wanted to do that, but like I said, she'd make sure I never found my daughter if I ended things with her."

His breath was shallow and for every second he thought of the woman, his heart filled with a bitterness that felt far too dangerous to keep contained. "Varric. Listen to me." He looked towards Solas and furrowed his brow. "You have Bianca now. She's here, and all you have to do is _talk to her_."

"That's just it. If she knew…if she knew everything, would she just turn away from me? I couldn't protect her from her own mother, I couldn't keep her safe from Alexius-even when she told me how much she hates magic. Or no, she's afraid of magic."

"None of that is your fault, Varric. She would understand. I'm sure she wishes to be a part of your life as much as you wish it, but both of you have to get over this fear of rejection that you clearly have. You have something greater to fear…"

"What?"

"Losing each other before you truly connect with one another."

Varric started to sigh and he turned his head up to the ceiling. It was then he saw a shrouded figure sitting on one of the rafters. "Wait a minute Solas, someone's here…" He prayed it wasn't someone from the merchant guild, where word might get back about his insane tale. Solas looked up and grabbed his staff.

"Down from there," he ordered. The figure removed his cloak and Varric's heart pulsed with shock when he saw Lantos's eyes glaring down at him.

"You!" He ran for his bow and aimed swiftly at the man. "How did you get in here?"

"Easy to slip in on someone when they're distracted by their emotions," Lantos answered with a snarky grin. The man jumped from the rafter and spun in the air before landing on his feet. "How nice, insecure just like your daughter."

Varric kept his bow aimed at Lantos and sneered at the man. "You stay the hell away from my daughter, stay the hell away from me, and the hell away from the Inquisition."

Lantos moved his eyes sideways and shrugged. "That last part might be a little difficult." Varric raised an eyebrow and Lantos turned away. "Whatever, you can go and worry about whether or not she's going to run from you the minute you tell her everything, but let's be honest…You're more likely to lose her with silence than anything else."

"What in the hell do you want?" Varric was going to talk to Cullen about securing the defenses, and then he had to let Leliana know Lantos was getting in. "I will find out how you're getting in here, and we will ensure you don't get in again." If Lantos was able to get in, it meant some crafty enemies could do the same.

"You do have some carta members in the inquisition, old man." Lantos smirked and spread his hands out. "Carta members are loyal to one another."

He clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the handle of the bow. "Screw that." His right foot slid forward and his chest expanded. "Bianca told us what you assholes did to her. Loyal to the women in your clan, you're not."

"What? We keep them out of danger." Lantos moved his wrists behind his back and shut his eyes. "I should say if we treat them poorly, we're the most dangerous thing they're going to run into…and for you and your daughter?" Lantos opened one eye and his smirk grew. "That still rings true."

"Go to hell!"

"Sounds like your daughter went thanks to this Alexius." Lantos rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Tough shit, Alexius was weak anyway. She survived him too, didn't she? Why the hell are you worried about protecting her from someone she survived?"

"I'll protect her from you if I must."

"Good. Try that. I assure you, I'm more of a threat to her than _Alexius_ could be." Lantos looked out the window and shrugged. "Her mother as well may be a greater threat to both of you, but it's not my place to care about that."

Solas raised his staff. The tip of it started to glow and the elf spoke with a dangerously tense voice. "I believe it would be best for you to leave, Lantos."

"In a moment. I only wanted to pay a visit, see if her father was all that he seemed." Lantos walked a circle around the pair, sizing them up. "Turns out, he's not. He's a barrel of insecurity too just like his daughter, living with a mistake that he's still fighting!"

"Shut up."

"Seriously. You're still with the woman, aren't you?" The skin around Varric's nose and eyes wrinkled and two frown lines grew around his lips.

"We write."

"Oh. My bad." Lantos threw his head back, laughing aloud. "So let me get this right." He raised his hands, pointing his forefingers to Varric and flashed a toothy smirk. "Your daughter, the one that this woman keeps threatening to send away for good if you ever leave her, is now _here__in your presence_…and you're still too fucking scared to say anything?"

Varric lowered his bow and his lips separated for a moment. "Don't listen to him," Solas said, "He's trying to provoke you. Trying to get under your skin…he wants to see how much he can push you."

"Yeah. That's what I'm trying to do, baldy." Solas spat out an elvin curse that caused Lantos to laugh. "I'm not afraid of either of you."

"Your confidence is destroyed by your arrogance."

"Come on." Lantos pat his chest and extended his arms out to the sides. "I haven't tried to attack you yet. So shoot me. I'm sure Bianca wouldn't mind hearing how her father shot down her ex without provocation."

"He isn't wrong," Varric whispered. While Bianca was here now, her mother couldn't control him. The Inquisition wouldn't let Bianca go so easily, so there was almost zero chance of the woman taking her away from him now. "That woman can't hold her over my head now."

"So what exactly are you afraid of?" Lantos raised an eyebrow and turned his head. "Are you afraid of losing her to that woman or to something else? Because I will say, you could lose her to just about anything she's going up against. Such as…" Lantos tapped his chin and approached the window. "The massive horde of crazy looking Templars that are coming down that mountain in the distance."

Varric's heart shot out of his chest and Solas nearly dropped the staff. "What?" Lantos opened the window and turned his head over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I noticed them on my way over. Big bunch of freaky ass Templars with red lyrium growing out of their backs. They're being led by this weird looking asshole. If I'm right, you should be hearing from them right about…"

The ground trembled beneath their feet and an explosion tore through the sky. "Now." The two men collapsed on the ground with a violent shout and Lantos bolted through the window. Varric rolled over to his bow, aimed and shot at the window, but Lantos was already gone.

"Asshole. Trying to taunt me."

"Ignore him," Solas shouted, "We have bigger matters to attend to."

They bolted from the training hall as fast as they could, and the first thing they saw was fire and destruction. Bianca was in the distance with Cassandra, so they ran to them as fast as they could.

"There you are," Cassandra muttered. "Bull and his new friend, Megan are attending to some of the people here. Dorian's off with this weird guy, looking after the Chanter, and Sera's trying to rally up the drunks in the bar. So, that said, can we get moving?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. We ran into trouble." He looked at Bianca, worried what mentioning Lantos's presence might do right now, so he opted to keep quiet until all this was over.

Throughout the fight, it was decided they need to get to the trebuchets and attack the oncoming Templars. Lantos had been right, these weren't human Templars any longer, but freakish and ghoulish demons.

When they saw a dragon flying overhead, his blood ran cold. He tapped on Bianca's armor and pointed, signaling that it was time to start running for the Chantry.

In the process of the run, they saved all the townspeople that they could and then entered. It looked like they weren't going to make it out alive, but Roderick suggested a way out-the only problem was it required buying time. Time that they did not have.

When it was suggested that Bianca head to the Trebuchet to try and strike the dragon with a rock, he was not at all thrilled with the idea. "There is a beast out there, ready to burn us to the ground, and you want to send her out to try and distract it? Are you mad?"

"There is no other way," Cullen advised.

"You're insane." Bianca took off and Varric turned around with a shout. "I'm not letting her go off alone to face that thing. No chance in hell." He raced after her, and with him were Cassandra and Solas.

Bianca looked over her shoulder, furrowing her brow and raising her voice to a panicked pitch. "You guys need to try and escape with the others. I'll be okay, I'm sure."

"I don't think that's going to be possible," Solas answered, "Some people have serious reservations to it." Her eyes travelled to Varric and her lips slid into a smile. For a moment, he thought she thanked him.

They charged up to the trebuchet and began to aim it, ready to drive the dragon away as much as they could. The attack was likely to create an avalanche that they could escape if they ran fast enough, but it was going to require swift timing.

While Bianca aimed, Varric and the others kept watch for the dragon. No matter what happened, he was not leaving his daughter out here.

"There it is!" Cassandra exclaimed. Varric twisted his head just in time to see the dragon charging him. He aimed the crossbow at the creature, waiting for it to open its mouth so he could fire a shot down its throat. "Varric, get out of the way! Solas, grab him before he gets himself killed!"

"Come on," Varric growled at the creature, "I've got an arrow waiting for you to choke on."

An arrow shot through the sky, striking the dragon and forcing it to fall. Varric's eyes widened as the creature began to collapse on him. Before it could, a hooded person ran up to him and pulled him away, knocking him out in the process.

When Bianca turned her head, she could see someone dragging Varric away. "Let's move," she called to Cassandra and Solas. They nodded and took off in front of her, but at the last second the dragon pulled itself up and fire shot out at her.

She collapsed to the heat and shielded her face with her arms. When it was over and she opened her eyes, she could see somebody approaching. It was an incredibly tall and thin man with a disfigured face.

The Elder One.

He sneered at her and raised his hand. "Finally we meet," he said. "I am Corypheus…" He revealed himself to be the reason for the mark on her hand, calling her a mistake-an interloper that was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Many said it was a mark of Andraste, many claimed her to be a holy icon no matter that she didn't think she was holy in any way. "I'm not unimportant," She muttered while backing up, cornered by both Corypheus and the dragon.

"You are nothing. A nobody with power that you do not understand."

"I never asked for this, I never wanted it."

"Then I will take it from you." He grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the air. She clenched her eyes shut, screaming aloud as her wrist began to feel as though it were a sheet of paper being torn at the slightest force.

"No!" He threw her against the trebuchet with mighty force. She twitched as a wave of pain shot through her body.

"Soon you will know a new god. For I had entered the throne of the gods, and I found that it was empty." She pushed herself up, trembling violently while glancing at the rope to release the trebuchet.

She had to escape and get back to her father. She needed to know that he was okay, she had to be with him.

"No. I'm not going to die. Not here, not now." Corypheus's hand started to glow and his eyes were hot with anger. Thinking fast, she slashed the rope and fired the trebuchet, causing both Corypheus and the dragon to watch as it struck the mountain and started an avalanche.

She used this time to run and charge into the nearest hole that she could find, falling unconscious as she hit the tunnel below.

* * *

Well, what's going through your mind right now? What are you thinking about Bianca's mother right now, we haven't heard much about her until now, and you know we're going to see her again. Do you think Lantos is right, or just being overly arrogant when he says the woman could potentially be a greater threat to Varric and his daughter? What does Lantos want? Corypheus is officially here as well, and with that, a new foe.


	17. Rampant Doubts

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Okay, so you know most everything is going to align with the game. The talk with Mother Giselle in this chapter is a little different, since obviously the doubts being cast and whatnot are less about religion than they are otherwise. It's still the same, and the same concept, just a tad more than her believing or not knowing whether to believe that she's the chosen savior to Andraste.

* * *

Chapter 17 (Rampant Doubts)

Bianca woke with a groan, hearing the advisors argue. She barely remembered getting back to them, but she remembered stumbling through the freezing blizzard to try and find her way back to camp. The time where she would have given up and let the weather kill her seemed so distant now, so she relied on her determination to find her way through the storm.

In her anguished state, all that she could hear had been the words Alexius said to her and the worlds that Corypheus told her. _"You were a mistake. You never should have existed."_ She knew what her birth was like, a pregnancy that should never have occurred. She wanted to give up, but the thing that drove her forward was the final words of Chancellor Roderick.

_"If we can survive this, then you could be no accident, you could be more."_

"Did I really save anybody?" She tried to push herself up but a sharp pain in her side forced her to pause. It would take only a moment, but she didn't want to rush it. "Am I really that important to anyone? A mistake…an accident…Someone who never should have been born in the first place."

_"What marks you as touched, I crafted to assault the very heavens_." Corypheus's words haunted her, drawing greater fear into her heart. The mark on her hand wasn't a 'blessing' at all-not that she ever counted it as such. _"And you used the Anchor to undo my work. The gall of it…"_

_"I didn't ask for it, take it if you want it!"_

_ "Mortals have always cried this…I will not suffer even an unknowing rival, you must die." _

"As if I needed more people trying to kill me. Maybe…maybe it would be better if I were gone."

A gentle hand caressed her upper back and she turned to see Mother Giselle looking down at her with a tiny smile. "We live because of you," Giselle whispered, "You are not a mistake, or is it not the mark that you speak of?" Bianca sniffed and furrowed her brow when a familiar floral scent drew her to it.

Her eyes followed to the source of the scent and she spotted a group of crystal grace flowers tied together. "Oh, my favorite flower." She started to reach, but Mother Giselle was faster in reaching across her and taking one of the flowers to bring to her. "I saw these all over the Hinterlands. I love them, they're so beautiful."

Next to the flowers was her battle ax. Oghren's words returned to her mind and she closed her eyes to draw in a quiet breath.

"Varric was worried about you, he brought those and said that you liked them. I believe he wishes you to live, as does everyone here." It relieved her a bit to know that her father was concerned for her, but this made her wonder if perhaps he truly did realize she was his daughter.

If so, then what could that mean for her she wondered.

With Corypheus's attack still fresh, she needed some idea where they were, and listening to her advisors fight wasn't helping. "Do you have any idea what happened to Corypheus?"

"I do not. It is possible he waits for another attack, but it is also possible he believes you are dead." Giselle looked to the advisors and took a deep breath. "Even still, I cannot know the mind of that creature, but only his effect on us. Does he concern you?"

"I had hoped the fight between the mages and Templars would be the end of this, that I could just-I don't know…" It felt more like the trouble was just beginning rather than ending, and all she ever wanted was just to have a normal life. "Tell me what to do."

"I can't do that. What else ails you? Is it Corypheus?"

"Him." She chuckled and threw her hand up into the air. "He's just another problem. Corypheus, Lantos, my adoptive parents, maybe even my birth mother." She growled and closed her fist tight, glaring down at her hand. "This stupid mark, anchor, or whatever the hell it is. All my life, all I've ever wanted was to be happy, and all I've ever got was shit after shit after shit! I'm sick of it…"

She leaned her head back, trembling with anger. "I don't know whether to give up, keep hoping all this is going to somehow work out or to start pointing fingers."

"When there is time to doubt, it can turn to blame." Giselle smiled warmly and reached for her closed hand. Bianca's grip loosened at the touch and she let out a shaky breath. "You have had a difficult upbringing, I understand, but you mustn't give up hope that one day…someday things will work out. If you give up, then you will never see that come to pass, but if you keep pushing for a better life-one that you can only dream of…it_ will _become reality."

Even now with so many things keeping her from that 'reality', she was expected to be strong and to push. "I can't do it. I just…I can't." She ran her hands over her face and through her hair, groaning in frustration. "I can't be expected to be some magical, mythical savior when I need help myself."

"All your life you've gone alone, trying to fight your way into a better circumstance, but you've always fallen short-"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"But you don't have to go through it alone." Bianca looked towards the flowers, smiling gently as her father came to mind. "Maybe now is the time to stop being afraid?" She turned her eyes towards her advisors and forced herself to try and stand.

"I should help them plan."

"Take your rest, another voice won't help the matter, perhaps not yours. Whether you see yourself as a savior or not, our survivors are here because of what _they_ saw. They watched you, their defender rise and fall, and then return to us."

"The other day, when Oghren came to visit, he said he was surprised I looked to him as a hero." Bianca glanced at the side and shrugged. "What you're saying?"

"A hero, a savior, is someone that impacts us. They do not have to see themselves as such, but if they believe it-in their eyes that would be enough."

"I just want to be normal, I just want a chance to live." Bianca raised the flower to her nose and took in the delightful aroma. "It's said dwarves don't dream, but when I was younger, I used to dream that I'd find my parents and that we'd be together."

"Is that not still possible?"

"I…don't know." She took a deep breath and let a nervous chuckle flee her lips. "Even if it was, even if my father wanted me around, there are so many things out there-people-making it incredibly difficult."

"Perhaps your father feels the same way. Perhaps now that we have a greater enemy, now is the time for you to talk with him."

There wasn't much time at all for talking and she knew that, but after what she experienced with Corypheus, she wanted to try. It wasn't so much confidence as it was exhaustion. "If he rejects me, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Giselle raised a hand beneath Bianca's chin, tilting her head up and gazing into her eyes. "You live." She shut her eyes and pulled away with a sigh. Giselle dropped her hands to her knees. "What if he doesn't?" Her eyes shot open and her heart skipped a beat. "You've spent so long being afraid that he would reject you, but have you considered the possibility that he would not? We both know your father, you've had time to know him through your travels, is his mind shut out or open?"

"Now that there's something else, what happens if we're torn apart again? The pain-"

"Every doubt that you say is an excuse." She threw her head up and opened her lips to protest against Giselle's words, but a jolt in her heart silenced her. Giselle was right, she was terrified so much of the pain that it sounded like she was simply grasping at reasons not to talk to her father. "Could there be a chance that he knows you are his daughter?"

"Then why hasn't he said anything?"

"Why have you not?"

A knowing smirk spread across Giselle's face and Bianca dropped her gaze to the ground. Her fingers curled around her belt and she bit down on her lower lip. "Because I'm terrified he's going to turn me away. I'm scared I was nothing more than a mistake…I know nothing about him, Mother Giselle, and that scares the hell out of me."

She took a deep breath. "It scares me more than Corypheus, more than Lantos, my adoptive parents or any monster we've faced." She stepped forward and swept her hand outwards, pointing towards Cassandra. "She refused to kill me when I begged her to. I lost the will to live, I didn't have that will to live when I came here because I thought for sure my father died at the Conclave…"

"And then you saw he was alive."

"Yeah…So I stayed." Her hands fell to her sides and her head started to bow. "If he turned me away, what else do I have left to live for? Even if we stop Corypheus, where would I go? Back to the damned Carta and Lantos? Back to Marcus and Amelia? Do I find my birth mother when she _clearly_ wanted to get rid of me?"

Giselle said nothing, and Bianca's own frantic thoughts couldn't cover the echoing race of her heart. Tears welled up beneath her eyes as she closed up her hands. "I believe I can help these people, sure. Maybe I could." Her breathing grew shallow and she started to turn away. "Maybe I've still got some faith that my dad wants me and that we could be together after all this, but honestly? Is that even enough? Because no matter how much I want something to be true…the reality suggest otherwise. The reality suggests the world will sooner collapse before I'll ever come close to that dream. I truly want to believe, but doubt…it's all over the place…"

She started to approach her advisors, pausing to catch her breath. Her hands slid to her hips and her head shook left and right. Behind her she heard singing and looked back to see Giselle walking up to her.

_Shadows fall, and hope has fled. Steel your heart, the dawn will come…The night is long and the path is dark, look to the sky for one day soon, the dawn will come._

Bianca raised an eyebrow and her lips separated, but before she could question the song she heard Leliana beginning to join in followed by Cullen, and soon the entire camp was moved by Giselle's song.

_The Shepherd's lost and home is far, keep to the stars the dawn will come. The night is long and the path is dark, look to the sky for one day soon, the dawn will come._

_ Bare your blade and raise it high, stand your ground the dawn will come…_

Her chest trembled and a chuckle fell from her lips as the song resonated within her, soothing her. She wiped away the moisture in her eyes and turned as Giselle spoke one last time.

"Faith is only made stronger by facing doubt, Bianca. Untested, it is nothing…"

Solas walked up behind her, requesting her presence. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he did, but she followed him. "Don't sneak up behind me like that, Solas."

"I apologize." He lit a lamp and she stepped next to it. "Are you alright? Mother Giselle is a wise woman."

"Yes. I like her."

Solas smiled at her and then looked off to the distance. "Well first things first." His shoulders dropped and his eyes narrowed. "I should discuss the orb which Corypheus had, the one in which you touched that gave you the Anchor."

"Oh."

"It is Elvin." Her heart sank and she looked down at the scarred palm of her hand. "There may actually be a way to remove that mark, but there are more pressing matters to deal with." She curled her hand and closed her eyes.

"Right." If there was a way to get rid of the anchor, she would more than love to find out, but for now it was needed to close the rifts around Thedas. As much as she hated it, she could live with it for the time being. "How do you know about it?"

"It's called a foci, something I've seen in the fade. It is an ancient magic."

"Oh. Magic. Of course it's magic."

He frowned and his piercing gaze grew soft. "I am sorry, I know how you feel about magic. I am afraid I cannot offer much comfort…If anyone learns of the origin of this device, it could threaten what little alliance the elven people have with the Inquisition."

"It won't really matter if we're freezing here in the middle of nowhere."

"Yes, but that's what I wished to speak with you about." She raised her head up and pulled the corners of her lips back into her cheeks. "There is a place where the Inquisition can rebuild, it's strong and sturdy…up north, we can reach it soon."

"What is this place?"

"It is a place called Skyhold, an ancient fortress that has stood the test of time. It is more than capable." Her heart skipped and excitement washed over the ache in her body. "I've spoken to Cassandra about it, and the advisors wish to depart soon, so there is not much time before we have to leave…"

"Okay?"

"Use what little time we have." Solas looked away to the right and Bianca followed his gaze, tensing when she saw Varric standing by a campfire in the distance. "He has driven himself crazy with worry, perhaps now is the time to talk to him." She started to whine, but swallowed the urge. "As for the Anchor and it's magic, perhaps your father is the one who can offer some comfort."

"Wait." Her eyes widened and she snapped her gaze up to him. "You know? How-"

"Does it matter? The advisors wish to leave as soon as possible, speak to him before they call to you. It will be your final opportunity before reaching Skyhold."

"I don't want to have a rushed conversation with my father, Solas. Especially not when there's still a chance he may turn me away-he might not even know he has a kid!"

"So ask. If you had only the time for one question, what would it be?"

"I…" She watched Varric's head turn and saw his gaze fall onto her. The man's shoulders rose and his mouth curved up a small bit.

Bianca forced away the doubts in her mind with a deep breath and began walking towards him, knowing that if she spent any longer talking to Solas, she would simply become too fearful again to try.

"How are you?" Varric asked once she reached the campfire. His expression was warm and comforting, and he seemed to be more relaxed than she was expecting. "It's good to see you're awake."

"Thanks. Mother Giselle said you left the crystal grace over there. You were worried?"

"Of course." He closed his eyes and growled. "First Alexius, now Corypheus. Corypheus, of all the people to run into, of all the things to go after you, _Corypheus."_

"You…know him?"

"Yes." Varric opened his eyes and turned towards her, casting an apologetic look on her. "He shouldn't even be alive. Thane, Aveline, Bethany and I-we…" He ran his hand over his head and started to groan. "He almost killed you."

"That…" She could hear Cassandra in the distance, calling for her. It was almost time to go and she was going to have to put all her focus on guiding the survivors to this Skyhold place. "That's something that can be discussed later, I think."

"Yeah."

_If you had time for only one question, what would it be?_

Bianca's mouth grew tight and her eyebrows closed together. Varric had his arms crossed and was looking now at the fire below. "Varric, I need to ask you something, but we have to leave. Solas said there's a place we can go, a place this Inquisition thing can grow."

"Okay."

"But, I have time. I just-I need to ask this." Fear gripped her heart and she watched him turn his head to her. The trip to Skyhold was going to be hell if he turned her away now, but if she didn't get this over with, she may never do so.

"Ask me anything you like, I will answer as honestly as I can." She held her breath and looked into his eyes. They were calm and warm, but also held a hint of pain that she couldn't place.

Cassandra and the advisors approached from behind, and with them were several of the survivors. Varric raised his hand to them and they remained back, staying just out of earshot.

"Here goes." She released her breath and braced herself. She knew the answer to the first question, but it would tell her whether or not he knew and whether or not he wanted anything to do with her. "Are you…my father, and do you regret me?"

Varric's eyes grew and he unfolded his arms. "Regret? No…god no." Her heart rose up and she stumbled forward, shocked by the answer. "And yes, I am your father." He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes as if gazing into her doubt filled heart. "I have never thought of you as a mistake."

Tears ran along her cheeks and she gasped out when he hugged her. There were more questions she had for him, and so much more that she wanted to say, but she was at a loss for words and a loss for time.

"We can discuss this later," he said, "When we have more time to talk. Okay?" Still unable to speak, she answered with a tearful nod. Relief flooded her veins and her knees started to cave. She was angry with herself for being afraid for so long, but now that she had her answer, she hardly had the energy to complain-much less to move.

* * *

So it's finally happened, and they can start to relax. Oh by the way, Corypheus may have more reason to go after them as well. You'll see why. SO what do you think, seeing this chapter? About time she and Varric got to the reveal, right?


	18. Stand Up and Fight

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (Stand up and Fight)

They reached Skyhold and everyone remained busy trying to get settled into place, so Bianca didn't have much time to talk to her father at all. She wanted to, but now she was nervous about what they might talk about. It would happen, but not while everyone was so busy. They needed to have this conversation when there was downtime.

Cassandra pulled her aside while she was admiring the massive castle they found. Debris and rubble cluttered the place, and yet, its massive walls and walkways still stood beyond the centuries it existed. "I think I feel more secure here than I've felt anywhere else," she joked. "It's not home, but it'll do."

"I agree," Cassandra replied. The woman smiled at her and extended her hand. "Come, let's walk together." Bianca nodded and followed the woman, breathing in slowly. "They arrive here by the dozen, word travels fast."

"Clearly." She was astonished by it as well, though it was a bit off-putting. People were calling her the reason they were alive, and while that may be true, she hated the hero worship. During Giselle's song, people began bowing in front of her and it made her highly uncomfortable.

"As long as people stop worshipping me…"

"I know you're not comfortable with a lot of it, but you must understand how these people see you."

"I do, it's just…weird."

"It isn't something you asked for, it isn't something you wanted, but greatness isn't always something people choose." She rolled her eyes and turned towards Cassandra, peering down at her hand as the woman looked to it. "We do know what drew Corypheus to you now as well."

"Yes. I stole his anchor and he wants me dead. Add him to the list of people who want me dead, and what else is new?" Cassandra chuckled softly and started walking up the nearby steps to the upper battlements.

"The anchor has power but it's not the reason we're here. Your decisions healed the sky, you're his rival because of what you've done and he knows it. Everyone knows it." She frowned as they started to reach the top, where Leliana was waiting for them.

The woman, one of her personal heroes was now standing before her with a look of reverence while holding a long sword horizontally in her hands. _"Oh no, this isn't what I think, is it?"_ Fear gripped her heart and she looked out at the crowd of people below, and standing with them were Cullen and Josephine.

"The Inquisition needs a leader, someone who can stand and guide them, someone strong. They need someone that has already been leading it…" Her heart was pulled down by the panic and she shot a look at Cassandra and whimpered once. "You."

This wasn't what she wanted. She wanted everything to be over, she wanted to leave and live her life. She wanted to be with her father. If she led these people, there was no telling what would happen. "Y-You can't be serious. Cassandra, I-I'll never have a normal life."

"We both know that you haven't had a normal life to this point, but when all of this is over, there could be that chance."

"I never asked for this. What happens if I don't want this?"

"We've all sacrificed, but we're not done, _you're _not done."

"But-"

"If nothing else, Corypheus still wants you dead. Without you, the Inquisition will be alone, you will be alone." She cringed at the thought, but she was right. It was already pissing her off that she couldn't have a normal life, that just as she found her father, things were already set in motion to make that a difficult connection to achieve-and now some random asshole was going to be even more persistent in getting rid of her than the people that were already trying to.

"Bianca, I do believe that the Maker intended you for this. We _need _each other." She raised her head and looked out at the people before looking to Cassandra. Her lips separated for a single breath and her chest expanded slowly. "How you lead us is for you to decide, but I know you need us as much as the Inquisition needs you."

"You're right." She didn't want to be alone, that much she was certain. "I'm so tired of running, so tired of fighting by myself."

"So don't," Leliana whispered. The woman looked up with a motherly smile. Bianca could feel the tears fighting their way from her eyes, so she held onto her breath and tensed up to try and hold them down.

"You've come so far from that child that we saved from the deep roads." She let out a single gasp and shut her eyes. "Even then you were running from someone, weren't you?"

"Marcus. Amelia. Darkspawn…"

"You've said it before. All your life, people have wanted you gone. Your father doesn't want you gone, Bianca. _We_ don't want you gone. We're here for you. Now maybe your real mother wants you gone, maybe your adoptive parents and the Carta would love to be rid of you, and now a greater evil wants you destroyed…you cannot keep running. The longer you run, the more chance there will always be someone else chasing after you because they know you won't fight back."

"Won't fight back?" Bianca scoffed and the tears overpowered her struggle. Leliana couldn't know how correct she was, even Lantos once told her when they were together, she 'made it easy' to be abused. "All my life, I just took the abuse. I was worthless, no one ever gave a damn about me."

"And now you have people who care for you. People who will be loyal, people who will stand behind you-stand with you-so long as you would have them. You're not defenseless. If you'll lead them, guide them, protect them…they can protect you as well."

She looked back to the sword and bit down on her lower lip, chewing it for a second. Her eyebrows dipped in the center and her teeth started to grind together. There was no sense in fighting this. No, she was done running and done with hiding.

Done being abused because she couldn't fight back.

"I can fight back." Her muscles tensed and she could picture Lantos in her mind with his smug grin and his arms crossed. Behind him, the army of their clan. Further behind she pictured Amelia and Marcus Cadash, and finally the dark silhouette that was her mother.

"Bianca? Will you accept this? Will you lead the Inquisition?"

In her vision she saw Corypheus rising above the others, the last insult, the latest murderer-the latest abuser.

"Corypheus will never let me live in peace." None of them would. "He made that clear. He intends to be a god, to rule over us all." Even if it wasn't Corypheus, it was every person that stood as a block against her. Not only did Corypheus need to be stopped, for the greater good of the world, so did everyone else that stood between her and her father or her and a life of peace. "Corypheus must be stopped."

Cassandra pat her on the shoulder and approached the crowd, looking down at Josephine and Cullen. "Have our people been told?" Her voice echoed in the sky, drawing Bianca's attention.

"They have," Josephine replied graciously, "And soon the world."

"Commander, will they follow?"

Cullen chuckled and turned around a bit too excitedly. "Will you follow?" He asked to the crowd. They roared their applause, and for the first time, Bianca didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. It was still overwhelming, however. "Will you fight?" They cheered once more, forcing a relieved chuckle from her lips. "Will we triumph?"

He drew his blade. "Your leader." Turned around. "Your herald." And pointed the blade to her. "Your Inquisitor!"

Afterwards, she followed her advisors into the grand hall of the castle, where a throne chair sat before magnificent stained glass windows. Despite the rubble on the floor, the hall looked more than sturdy. It wouldn't take much to clean, and once they restored the place, she was confident it would stand strong.

She remembered the words in the first letter that Lantos had sent to her, suggesting that she was hiding behind the Inquisition. Now she could feel those words with more force, because Skyhold was truly a shelter if nothing else. This army of people could protect her, keep her safe, and she knew that.

Hell, even one of her advisors was somebody that had shielded her more than once already.

_"But I'm not hiding. No. Not anymore."_ She looked at the scar on her hand and narrowed her eyes as she tried in vain to listen to what her advisors were saying. _"No I'm not weak, I'm not powerless. Try as much as you want, hit as hard as you can, because I swear to god I will hit back and it will be harder than anything you can dish out. I'm done running around like a scared little girl."_

Leliana was right to say she wasn't that same girl running from the darkspawn in the deep roads. She was so much more, and if it took the Inquisition to get her to realize that, so be it.

She lowered her hand and turned to her advisors. In order to best understand her enemy, she needed to know who he was otherwise they had nothing. "I know what Lantos is, I know who the Carta is, I know all of the people that if they threaten me, they threaten the Inquisition. For now, we need to know who is Corypheus…"

"Right."

They went on to discuss him, discussing the possibility of him becoming powerful enough to become a 'god'. The other question on her mind was whether or not this dragon he had with him was an Archdemon. The only issue with that theory was that they hadn't spotted any darkspawn yet, so the chances were unlikely that this was anything close to the sort. Although it was still dangerous yet.

He also wanted to restore Tevinter, so there was always a chance that this entire thing could cause a war with them, but that was uncertain. Although there were no doubts among anyone that the Tevinter Imperium would enjoy seeing the south crumble.

"We're safe here, right? Corypheus can't attack us here? We don't need a repeat of Haven being destroyed."

"I'd bet against a direct attack," Cullen replied, "We have the walls to withstand an attack anyway."

Leliana moved her hands behind her back and stretched herself. "We have one advantage." They looked to the woman. "We know what he intends to do next, and we can work to prevent this…in that future you went to, it was said that Empress Celene was assassinated. If that happened, he could take control and garner an army."

"He could conquer all of Thedas," Josephine stated, "God or no god."

"Yes. I do wish we knew more about who we were dealing with…"

A shuffling noise caught Bianca's attention and she looked to the entrance to see Varric walking towards them. "I know someone that might be able to help with that," Varric said with the most casual voice he could muster. "Someone with the experience and knowledge to help. He's crossed paths with Corypheus before, and may know more about what he's doing."

Bianca grinned, thinking Varric could be talking about Thane Hawke. The only problem here was he told Cassandra that he didn't know where Thane was, but if he reached out, that would be revealed as a lie.

Cassandra would be furious, so Bianca was going to have to do some damage control if anything happened. She figured Varric might be trying to protect his friend for whatever reason, that had to be the only reason he would lie about knowing how to find him.

Regardless, if Thane could shed some light on Corypheus, she would be eager to hear from him. "Introduce me." Varric nodded and then grew pale when she flashed a smirk. "I'd love to meet him." Perhaps he had just realized that he would be introducing his best friend and his daughter. _"Thane might also be a good source of information for stories about my father too."_

"Alright, I'll bring him up to the battlements. Come talk to him when you're ready, I know you may want to get your bearings first."

"Yeah, and thank you."

* * *

Here you see a transformation, if you will. Tell me what are your thoughts? Opinions?


	19. Hawke

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 19 (Hawke)

She was given the chance to explore Skyhold while checking up on all the companions. Even though some joined her side, she hadn't fully had the chance to talk to many besides Sera, and Bull on occasion. Aside from Cassandra, Sera was her closest friend due to being the closest in age.

Unsurprisingly Sera was already wanting to drag Bianca off and explore the area outside of Skyhold. It was an offer she'd have to take the girl up another time, but she was definitely interested.

As she ran around she felt like she was being watched, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It felt like someone was watching over her, and when she was able to look up to the battlements, she saw that it was Varric and someone else. Likely Thane.

Thane Hawke didn't look like the giant legend she expected him to be. He actually looked relatively calm from afar, and he had a sword that marked him as a warrior like her.

Wisdom peered down from his eyes, and his mouth was shrouded by the neatly trimmed brown goatee. His brown hair was brushed back like Cullen's, and his eyebrows were a little overgrown.

She was looking forward to meeting him, and for more reasons than just information on Corypheus. Before she could, however, she was caught off guard by their most recent addition to the party: Cole.

"You're fighting, but there's a lot of pain behind that blade you wield. I hope I could help." She flinched and spun around, smiling briefly at the tall blonde haired boy. He was a spirit possessing a body, according to Solas, and she knew he could sense the feelings and thoughts of those around him, but she made it clear that she didn't want him trying to do anything to her head.

He seemed innocent enough and looked to be roughly the same age as Sera and herself. Granted as a spirit, there was no true way to tell just how old he was, but the way he spoke came across as youthful.

"I'm okay Cole. Honestly."

"It took a lot of courage to talk to your father, you did a good thing." She looked up at Varric with a smile, shrugging as Cole continued. "Varric hides a lot of himself as well. He didn't know if you would stay. He's still afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Afraid to lose you again." She started to ask when he had ever 'lost' her, but knowing what the Cadash family said regarding her mother, she didn't need to question it. "Your father has always wanted you in his life."

She closed her hands and thanked him. "I appreciate what you're doing, Cole, but please-I really need to hear this from him." Cole flashed a smile and nodded to her.

"How can I help?"

"Well, you've got a good start by being here, I guess." She could always use a friend, especially since she was low on them. "What do you think, Cole? Do you think the people here…might treat me well? I mean, I don't want to be treated like an icon, I don't want to be treated like a leader or a hero but-"

"But as a friend. Be a friend and they might be a friend back."

Sera ran up behind them, calling their names and pointing to the exit of the castle. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to go outside and look around yet?" She turned her head and laughed at the impatient elf. "I'm getting bored." Cole raised his eyebrows and bought his hand over his chin.

"She wants to talk to her dad's friend."

"Dad?" Sera looked up to the battlements and her mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Oh that's right! I forgot!" She smacked her head and started to cringe. "I'm so sorry Bianca, I forgot you told me about him."

"It's okay," Bianca replied, "I'll go outside with you later though." She smiled hopefully and raised herself on her toes for a second. "You and Cole? Maybe we can just hang out for a bit, the three of us?" Sera crossed her arms and shot a skeptical look at the strange spirit. Cole smiled sweetly and Sera rolled her eyes.

"Oh alright, he can come with. As long as he doesn't do anything weird."

"We could do something now while we wait for Bianca to talk to her father's friend."

"Now?"

"You said you were bored."

"Ugh, fine, let's go explore." Sera marched for the gate and Cole followed happily behind her. At the last moment she turned around and told Bianca to meet them there whenever she was ready.

Seeing as how she was being rushed, her next step was to visit with Varric and Thane. As she made her way up, she an excited bout of nervousness overtook her. Varric introduced her to Thane and looked at his friend for a moment with one final word before departing.

"I'll be watching, so try not to have too much fun telling stories about me, Thane…" Thane smirked and Bianca raised her eyebrows as she watched her father leave.

"So, you are Varric's daughter? He's talked about you in his letters." Her face turned a shade of red and she started to smile as Thane leaned over the edge of the wall. "I was surprised to hear about you actually, he didn't talk much about his family in Kirkwall. Besides, of course, your uncle."

"Uncle? You mean Bertrand?" Varric mentioned his brother once or twice, but it was only in a fleeting moment. "To be honest, I haven't had a lot of time or chances to really talk to him. I um, I never knew my father until now."

"Really?"

"No. I think my mother got rid of me when I was born."

Thane's brow furrowed and he grew quiet. "Oh…that must be why I hadn't heard of you." She leaned over the wall, peering down at the people below. "Varric has also been a very private person. I always had the sense there was something more to him, something he was keeping inside, now I understand."

"We only recently connected, so yeah."

"I can tell he's happier. I hope the two of you will be able to have a life together." Thane stood erect and folded his arms across his chest. "About Corypheus, I can also understand why he was so upset."

"How so?"

"We fought him-fought and killed him. He's my responsibility, but I can see why Varric's upset more than I would think he'd be. For Corypheus to come back to life and go after you…"

"I'm kind of getting used to the idea that people just don't want me around."

"Well, not Varric." Thane chuckled and his shoulders rose up. "I suspect he'll do everything in his power just to keep you around." She hoped so, even though she realized how difficult it was going to be for them.

Knowing now that there was a connection between Varric and Corypheus, she couldn't help but wonder if that meant Corypheus would pick up on it. "Thane, you don't think…what would happen if Corypheus realized I was Varric's daughter?" Thane's right eyebrow rose and he started to hum.

"Varric crippled Corypheus, giving me the opening to take that final blow. I imagine if he realized Varric had a child, he could potentially go after that child for a twisted sense of vengeance."

"Oh." The guy was already after her for the anchor, she didn't want him to go after her with greater force because she was Varric's daughter. It was unlikely Corypheus would ever find out, but at the same time, his discovery of that could potentially be unavoidable. "Should I be worried?"

"He's already after you, right?"

"Yes…"

"Then probably not." He looked up and to the left, tilting his head to the side with a contemplative hum. "Or, if he knew, it wouldn't change much." Thane scratched beneath his chin and shut his eyes. "Speaking of Corypheus…Perhaps it is time to tell you more about him, and about my friend in the wardens-Stroud."

"Do you think he can help?"

"The wardens have disappeared, he thinks because of Corypheus. When we found that monster, he was using the Wardens-controlling them through their minds."

"Oh. Tell me more…"

Their conversation was long and drawn out, but informative to say the least. She got to talk to him about some of Varric's other friends after they finished with Corypheus, and was half tempted to ask a bunch of questions about Varric-though she wanted to get to know him without third party influence.

According to Thane, he was still with Isabela, although they weren't together at the moment. Aveline was still guard captain, Merrill was seemingly in charge of the Kirkwall alienage and managed to get Fenris to start softening up-much to everybody's surprise. Everyone was doing well besides Anders of course, Thane had to execute Anders for the murderous act he committed.

"As for Varric…" Thane folded his arms back across his chest and smiled. "I can't tell you much about his background or anything since he's kept his private life to himself. I can't tell you much about his family or anything else, but you're his daughter, he'll likely talk to you about it…out of earshot of the merchant guild."

"Why?"

"He always talks about the wars within the merchant's guild. They're always spying on each other and trying to outdo one another. He's said before he would like to leave and get away from it all, but he's tied to it and can't leave. What ties him to it, I don't know, but he never seems to be happy about it."

"Maybe they'll leave him alone now that he's with the Inquisition?"

"Maybe…" Thane took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "I've said enough, perhaps more than enough." The man curled a smirk and glanced over his shoulder. "I promised him I wouldn't embarrass him with any stories, but he's told so many stories about me, I feel I'm entitled to share at least one on him."

She sat on the wall and crossed her arms, grinning eagerly at the man. "Please share!"

"Alright."

To Bianca's delight, Thane shared a story about a haunted mansion. It was a house that Bartrand owned. Varric had been insanely creeped out by the ghosts, despite trying play it off well. It wasn't until the minute a vase went flying at him that he scrambled for the door in a frenzied attempt to escape, but Aveline got in front of him and told him that if they were staying, he had to stay.

Towards the end of the story, Bianca thanked him for his time and remembered she needed to locate Cassandra. "I need to find my friend before she goes off on my father."

"Oh?"

"I don't know if it was to protect you or something, but Dad told Cassandra he couldn't find you."

"That's more my fault than his. I didn't want to be involved in political stuff anymore-even as Viscount of Kirkwall, I am just simply too tired to get involved in another political mess."

"I understand." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked over the courtyard. "I was kind of hesitant to accept role as leader of the Inquisition." Thane's brow furrowed and his mouth indented into his cheeks. "I think they can keep me safe, so…"

"Safe from what?"

"A lot of things out there. I mean, Corypheus isn't the only one after me. My ex, I'm sure my birth mother and adoptive parents have been after me since I ran off a couple years ago."

"Why would they be after you?"

"They knew I wanted to find my dad, and they weren't exactly thrilled about it." It was a big part of the reason she ran away in the first place, besides the initial abuse. She told them she wanted to find her father, argued that since they knew who he was and where he was that they should help her. They struck her down, told her she didn't belong with him and would never find the man.

When she ran and found the Carta, it was Dasher who said he would try and help her find her birth father. Unfortunately things just grew too busy and hectic for them, and that never came to pass.

"According to Amelia and Marcus, my birth mother told them I was never to see my father. I don't really know the story behind it, I don't know if it's true or what to believe."

"Well. Whatever the case may be, if I know Varric, I know this: He will protect you. As loyal and protective as his is of his friends, I imagine he'd be much more so in the way of his own child."

"That's good to know." She thanked him again and started off, saying that she would see him again in Crestwood-where Stroud was apparently waiting.

Eager to find her father, but wanting to first find Cassandra, she ran for the training area that Cassandra had been. She wasn't present, but the shouting she heard from behind a nearby door was gave her a start.

"No!" She ran for the door, entering just in time to see Varric dodging an overhead punch from Cassandra.

"You lied to me!" Cassandra screamed. "You knew where he was all along."

"You're damn right I did." Varric ducked again and Cassandra cursed him out. Bianca groaned, trying to think of how to handle this situation. She didn't want to put Cassandra off by insulting the fact that she was angry about being lied to, but she didn't want to upset her dad right after they were finally beginning to connect.

Varric ran behind a table, sneering at Cassandra. "You kidnapped me and interrogated me. What did you expect?" Cassandra growled and lunged forward. "I don't need more abuse from _you."_

Bianca shouted at the top of her lungs, demanding they stop. Cassandra glared at her, seemingly forgetting that this was her father.

Cassandra frowned at her and exhaled. "We needed a leader." Varric walked over to Bianca's side and Cassandra shook his head. "Hawke was our best hope. People respected him."

"The Inquisition has a leader now," Varric replied. "My daughter." Cassandra ran her hand over her forehead, her body sank a bit and she started to groan.

"Right. How easy to forget. It's just…Hawke could have been at the conclave. If _anyone_ could have saved the most holy…"

There was a chance that Thane would have perished at the conclave as well, but none of that mattered now. What was important was knowing that the past could not be changed, if it could, there was so much she would love to go back and reverse.

"Cassandra, you can't change the past."

"He's-" Cassandra paused, her eyes moved between the two and she took a second deep breath. "Nevermind…" Bianca looked at Varric. Her eyebrows curled together and she watched him leave.

"Hawke has gone through enough," Varric stated quietly before walking out the door. Bianca crossed her arms and Cassandra sat down at the nearby table.

"I am sorry Bianca, I do not mean to insult your father in front of you, I am angry that he lied to me. He may have had his reasons, I just wish I knew what those are."

"Whatever the case is, all of us need to work together. Yes he's my dad, and I'll talk to him, but we can't be at each other's throats. Not right now…"

"You are right." It seemed to be good that she got in there before Cassandra and Varric killed each other, and she hoped this would be the last of the tension. "Did you find out what you needed about Corypheus?"

"Yes. Thane and Dad killed him." Cassandra raised an eyebrow and Bianca sat at the table. "Dad was the one that crippled him, leaving him open for Thane to take the final blow…so with that said-"

"Corypheus might go after your father too, then."

"And me, if he knew I was his daughter. So, you understand one reason I would like us not to be fighting?"

"Certainly." Cassandra pat Bianca's shoulder and smiled at her. "You have my word, I will try to be civil. You're a friend of mine, I would hope not to do anything to upset you."

"You too, Cassandra. Thanks…"

* * *

What are your thoughts? Meeting Hawke went well it seems, and the argument with Cassandra and Varric, yeah I had to end it a little bit differently. Cassandra, while impulsive, doesn't feel like someone who would insult somebody to their own child's face no matter how angry she is.


	20. First Friends

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 20 (First Friends)

Bianca squinted her eyes at a strange creature running about. It had long ears like spoons, a short and rounded snout, and a small body with a ringed and bushy tail. "What are these things?" She'd seen many of them in the wild and always thought they were adorable, but never stopped to ask about them.

Sera and Cole snuck up behind her, studying the creature as well. "It's a fennec, a relative to the fox." Bianca raised an eyebrow and Sera tilted her head. "You've never seen a fennec before?"

"She hasn't the opportunity," Cole replied, "Her adopted parents and the carta kept her hidden from the world." Bianca rolled her eyes and shot him a glare. He dropped his shoulders and bowed his head. "Sorry. I can't help that I sense your sadness."

Sera's nose twitched and her hand tightened around her bow. "He's freaking you out too?"

Bianca shrugged and looked back to the fennec, watching as it grazed on the grass. "It's cute. Do you think people can keep them as pets?" She wanted one, but since they were wild creatures it might not be something that could be a pet. "I would love to take care of one."

"Maybe ask Varric. He's involved with merchants, right? He might know someone that sells domesticated fennecs."

"I agree," Cole said with quick enthusiasm. "I've seen people with fennecs in their homes before." Sera looked at him with suspicion and he shrugged in reply. "I've been places too, you know."

"Really?" Sera looked deadpan for a moment and lowered her bow. "I would have thought you stayed in the tavern's attic all day." Cole folded his arms and made a comment about her doing the same.

As the two continued to bicker, Bianca couldn't help but to watch with a smile on her face. It was the first time she truly felt like she had friends, the first time she felt she could enjoy someone else's company without a great deal of trouble.

For the first time she wasn't looking over her shoulder out of fear, and it was amazing.

Sera and Cole stopped their banter and looked towards her with surprise as if she were eavesdropping a crucial moment. "Let's not argue," Cole suggested with a smile. "I hear you're going to the Winter Palace soon. Are you looking forward to it?"

"Yeah I am." She hadn't thought much on who she would be taking with her, aside from her father. "I like Cassandra and Solas pretty well, so I think I'll ask if they want to come along with me-I know Dad's going."

Sera smirked and rolled her head to the right. "'Dad'? He's already on 'dad' status with you?" The blood rushed to her face and she quickened her tone to defend her stance, but stammered over a few words.

"Well he's been there for me a lot already, and we're getting along…"

Sera cackled and smacked her on the shoulder. "I'm only teasing. Relax." The blonde elf smiled softly. "It's good that you're finally getting to be with your dad, although you're out here with us when you could be spending some time with him…"

"I promised you guys I'd explore outside the castle with you once I was done talking to Hawke."

"We get it. It's fun out here." Cole hummed softly and whispered something about being watched. Bianca's heart stopped and she scanned the area with her eyes as Sera turned her head. "Who's around, then?"

Nearby was a patch of high grass swaying in the cool breeze. It swished violently as though something forced it to the side. Sera's gaze darted over and she raised her bow and arrow. "Out of the grass!"

Bianca grabbed the grip of her axe and braced herself for an attack when she saw the flash of metal in the sun followed by the slicking of metal. Given two flashes, she knew this person was somebody that wielded daggers.

She grew tense and called out expectantly. "If that's you, Lantos, I'm not afraid of you."

"Lantos?" The answer was feminine, so she was able to relax for the moment. The figure hiding in the grass stood slowly, revealing herself to be a tall elf with short red hair that hid her ears from view. She had a thin face, sharp golden eyes and slightly sunken cheeks. "I don't know who that is, but I apologize if I frightened you."

Bianca released her grip and looked over at Sera, who kept her arrow aimed on the woman. "Why were you spying on us?" Sera asked. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lavellan. Jade." Jade put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes. "I was on my way to the castle when I saw you. I don't have much luck with explorers, so I hid." Sera lowered her bow and narrowed her eyes.

"You frightened my friend."

"Not really," Bianca replied under her breath. "Just startled." She crossed her arms and motioned to Skyhold. "You were looking for the Inquisition?"

"Yes." Jade pat down her shirt, sighing heavily. "I heard they were taking people in. My…clan kicked me out." Jade's eyes darted to the side and her shoulders fell. "They wanted me to go to the conclave for information against the humans, but I said no."

"No?"

"I don't exactly agree with their ideas." Jade folded her forearms over her stomach and rolled her eyes. "Hate the humans for some bullshit that happened before any of us were born. I get it, but I was sick of them pushing their opinions down my throat. I was just looking for a reason to leave my clan, they constantly put me down and cast me aside because I thought differently."

Sera started laughing, but it was a joyous laugh that was laced with a loud cackle. "Amazing! A Dalish elf that doesn't have her head so far up her ass that she can't talk to people!" Jade's eyebrow rose and she turned to face Sera.

"You don't agree with your kind?"

"You two have a lot in common already," Cole said with a smirk. "Sera, why don't you show her into Skyhold?" Jade's eyebrows moved together and she pointed to her daggers.

"I can hunt, by the way. So if you need me to benefit somehow, I offer hunting skills. I know how to gather herbs as well. I certainly don't want to be a liability."

Sera curled a finger over her chin and started to circle the woman. Her eyes travelled down and her eyebrows shot up. "You don't look so scrawny either." Jade glanced over her shoulder and smirked back.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

"You're young for someone leaving your clan."

"I'll be twenty in a year."

Sera dropped her hand and rushed towards the castle. "Come with me, I'll show you around." Jade followed after her, leaving Bianca watching in amusement. It didn't take much to see the blonde was somehow drawn to the new elf-amazingly considering the girl's adamant distaste for Dalish.

Cole walked forward, gazing at where the two girls ran off to. "She's looking for a place to belong," he said with a sigh. "Both of them need a home, a place where they can be safe, where they can belong. Just like you, I hope all of you can find that here."

"If I'm honest Cole, I still would prefer to be anywhere but here…but you're right, I feel safe here. Still, when this is all over, I don't know what'll happen." She'd be with her father, that much she knew. She could stop Corypheus, and then she wanted to be on her way wherever her dad went.

They walked towards a stream that was glistening under the sun. She closed her eyes to listen to the water rushing against some rocks and splashing out onto the grassy edges. "It's nice to have a moment to myself once in a while."

Cole stepped beside her and she opened her eyes. A heavy sigh fell from her smiling lips, and her eyes travelled to the puffy clouds in the air. She had been on the surface long enough that unlike most dwarves, she wasn't afraid of the sky. It was fun to see that of all things, she didn't fear the sky falling on her head or herself floating away.

She looked back at the magnificent castle with its towers reaching high into the blue air. "This is amazing, Cole. I've never felt so…what's the word?"

"Alive?"

"Yeah." At the mouth of the castle she spotted Sandal walking from the gate. Her heart skipped and she nudged the boy beside her. "Look, it's Sandal." Cole's eyebrow rose and he shrugged.

"Okay? Talk to him?"

She paused and thought on whether or not Cole was the type of person to have this kind of chat with. Sera maybe, hell even Scout Harding was perhaps better at talking about boys than Cole would be.

She ponded the subject until Sandal spotted her and waved. "There you are Bianca. We haven't had a chance to talk since arriving at Skyhold." Just then she heard a poof noise and looked to see Cole vanish. She squinted her eyes and shook her head before approaching Sandal.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about that. It's good to see you made it here, I assume with your wares?" He leaned against a nearby rock, bending his elbow flat on the top.

"Yep." His right foot hooked over his left and his gaze fell into hers, drawing her in for the moment. She acknowledged the attraction she had to him, but she still second guessed herself on the matter. She didn't trust relationships much, nor did she think she would be able to have a successful one, so this 'crush' of hers might just be one that would never pan out.

"Nice to see you're getting some downtime here, Bianca."

She leaned forward a bit and chuckled softly. "Well I _was _spending my time with a couple friends, but as you can see…" She extended her arms sideways and dropped her shoulders. "They've abandoned me."

Sandal laughed for a moment, then pointed down the stream. "Then, would you care to walk with me?" She hummed thoughtfully, turning her eyes towards the castle. There wasn't anything about going off with him that felt unsettling, then Varric and Leliana both seemed to know him, so he could certainly be trusted.

"Sure, I've got time. As long as you don't try to attack me."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

They started their walk, with her between him and the stream. She wanted to say how beautiful the day was, but then she felt like talking about the weather would be a bit cliché.

"So…" She ran her hand over the back of her neck and peered over the water. "You um, you know my father." Sandal asked her to elaborate. "Varric." She dropped her hand and smiled as his eyes grew. "He's my birth father."

"That would explain the look of death I was receiving when I met you." He scratched his chin and smirked casually. "Here I thought it was just annoyance at my managing to be here." Bianca laughed as Sandal pulled his wrists behind his back. "Yeah, I know him back from my 'enchantment' days with my own dad."

"You knew Hawke as well?"

"Yep. Leliana too, while we're at it. Dad and I sold to the Hero of Ferelden himself. We were personal 'servants' to the Champion…" Sandal looked down the river and his body shifted as a chuckle escaped his lips. "Suffice to say, I can only imagine the envy my father would have if he knew I was working with the Inquisition."

"Have you spoken to him recently?"

"No. I thought about sending a letter, but I feel like anything I do will just have him demanding I return to him." They stopped next to a large tree and Sandal turned around, crossing his arms and leaning back against the trunk. "I love my father, don't get me wrong, but I need to do this on my own."

"You're with us, surely he'd be proud of you."

"He'll only ever be proud if I'm standing at his side." Sandal's brow furrowed and his shoulders rose. "He doesn't think I'd ever make it on my own, really. He doesn't know how to let me expand. I can't decide if he's trying to shelter me or if he just doesn't have faith in me."

"I see." She understood a bit of it, but overall his drive to be away from his dad was almost opposite of her. "So, you're trying to be separate from him?"

"I'm trying to find my own identity. Carve out my own path. I don't want to be known as the weird son of Bodahn, otherwise nobody will take me serious."

"I suppose I understand." She sat beside the tree and leaned her right shoulder into it. Her legs folded beneath her and her forearms rested gently in her lap while she peered at the large field across the stream. Sandal looked down at her with a smile. "I've been figuring out who I am as well, or trying to anyway."

"You have many names, it seems."

"You're not kidding." She laughed nervously and ended with a sigh. "Andraste's Herald, 'Inquisitor', and…" She narrowed her eyes and sneered. "'Worship'." A groan flew from her lips and she rolled her eyes. "I can't stand it."

"Well if it's any consolation, I won't worship you. Unless of course, you want me to." She rolled her eyes and looked towards his smirking expression with a smirk of her own. His smirk faded and he turned his head back towards the stream. A solemn expression came over him and his eyes turned to a slant. "You're lucky, you know. Finding your real father. Mr. Tethras is a good guy too."

"Do you know your real parents?"

"I only have vague memories of them." Sandal's shoulders and arms fell and his eyes closed. "They were smiths, or my mother was. She was lost in the deep roads a couple years before the blight and my father was a drunk, as far as I know. I can remember back to the age of five, and that's about it."

"So you don't have many. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright. Bodahn found me on the surface, so I'm grateful. I think one of my parents left me for someone to find since I do remember them leaving me there…" Sandal ran his hand through his hair and drew in a deep breath. "Could be wrong. Bodahn always said he knew my parents, but never actually spoke about them. Aside from what I just told you." Her eyes moved downcast and her brow furrowed.

"Did you ever want to find them? Or, your dad, actually?"

"Thought about it when the blight started, but my father was quick to suggest my father probably either drank himself to death or was killed by darkspawn, as if he couldn't possibly survive."

"And Bodahn was good to you as you grew up, I guess, so really he's more your dad than anything." He nodded his reply and she looked away. "My adoptive parents were horrible to me. They'd hit me when I wouldn't do what they wanted, they'd berate me at every turn-I was nothing to them, nothing like their real children were. So I left."

"I'm truly sorry for what you suffered with them."

"Yeah…let's talk about something else now."

"Of course." There was plenty to discuss, and plenty of time since she didn't have to leave for the Winter Palace just yet. She was enjoying the break, and enjoying this man's company as well. That said, she certainly didn't want the day to end anytime soon.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. Sera and Cole are fun to work with and would you say they are good people for Bianca to associate with? I hope you enjoyed the other cameo, and of course, we have Sandal. Next chapter we'll be seeing Marcus and Amelia, and I think you will enjoy what happens as a result of waking Vivienne up from her sleep...stick around and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	21. A Frustrating Reminder

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: I wasn't happy with this chapter as it was a rushed job and I didn't think anyone would notice, but someone pointed out something very startling and very true that I messed up on. I take pride in my writing and try to do the best that I can with character development and storyline, so I redid this chapter. Enjoy this.

* * *

Chapter 21 (A Frustrating Reminder)

Bianca awoke in a cold sweat, panting heavily as her eyes darted about the room. The morning light poured in through her windows, flooding the dark surrounding and bathing her with a warm, comforting sensation. "Will these nightmares never cease?" She looked down at the mark on her hand and cringed. "At least I know who to blame for this…Mother Giselle would have a panic attack if I blamed Andraste."

Solas confirmed that the mark was the reason she could dream, and tried in vain to console her over it by saying that dreams were a remarkable thing to have. She figured when all someone had was nightmares and painful flashbacks, they would happily stay away from dreams.

She dropped her hand to the blanket and fell back onto the pillow. Her eyes froze on the cloth drapery that hung over her head. "I should get up," she muttered. It would be a busy day preparing for the Winter Palace that evening, so the sooner she awoke the better.

Bianca rolled onto her side and pushed her hands beneath her head. The bed was much more comfortable than what she had in Haven, it was almost fit for royalty. Her room was large and had two balconies that overlooked stunning views of mountains. It was the kind of room that, on a lazy day, she wouldn't mind hiding away in.

It took several minutes of forcing herself to keep her eyes open and to wake up before she could manage to leave the bed. When she did, she begrudgingly put on her clothes started to leave the bedroom.

Just as her hand came to rest on the handle, she noticed something peculiar; the door was ajar. She knew it wasn't a case of forgetting to shut the door since she always closed the door since early childhood. "Someone was in my room…"

She held her breath and looked over her shoulder, squinting at the room. There wasn't anyone in view, but the feeling in her gut suggested otherwise. To the left, her closet doors were closed but to the right the doors that led out to the balcony were wide open.

The mental list of people that would sneak into her room wasn't long, since none of her companions would do that. Cassandra knew it would trigger bad memories for her, Sera understood pranking her was off limits, and Cole would likely try to keep her from even realizing he'd been in there.

"I'm imagining it." She straightened herself with a sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Stupid dreams are messing with my head."

As she started to turn, she could see something flash in the open space of the door. Her eyes widened and the door pushed forward, striking her in the shoulder. Bianca fell to the ground with a violent crash and looked up to see who was there.

Fear choked her when her horrified gaze fell onto two older dwarves wearing fancy outfits to designate Dwarven nobility. "Marcus?" She choked out the names of her adoptive parents and pulled her hand towards her throbbing chest. "Amelia?"

The woman pulled her long blonde hair over her shoulder and stared down with a smug expression. Marcus's bushy black eyebrows fell and closed like a pendulum and his pale blue eyes squinted in rage.

"You didn't think we couldn't find you?" Amelia laughed. "The minute we heard you were named Inquisitor, we knew where to look for you." Sweat trickled down the side of her head and her body started to shake as the man made his approach. "You've spent a good amount of time hiding from us, but we're here to take you back now."

Guards were positioned throughout Skyhold, so these two couldn't possibly have managed to slip in. "How? How did you even get in here?" They certainly weren't crafty or as skilled in stealth as Lantos was. They couldn't possibly pass as refugees either if they were wearing noble clothes. "W-What do you want?"

"To take you back home, darling. We've been looking for you for the past five years." She gasped out and pulled her leg away from where Marcus was standing. Her eyes trailed to the bed where her axe was, and she immediately began thinking of ways to defend herself.

"No. You just want to control me, you want to keep me locked away." She flung herself on hands and knees and started scrambling for the bed when she felt a sudden force grab the back of her outfit and yank her from the ground.

"You absolutely have no business being here," Marcus growled. "If you didn't want us to find you, you should have stayed hidden in the Carta." His fingers tightened around her shirt and she could feel herself losing control of her body as he pulled her to the door. "Staking out your little castle for the last few weeks paid off, it's easy to slip past the defenses when you've watched enough."

"No." Her lips parted to scream, but Marcus pulled again on her shirt, causing her collar to tighten around her neck and force only a whimper to flee from her mouth. "I have a job to do. I have responsibilities."

Amelia stepped beside her, moved her face in front of Bianca's and raised her voice. "That's too bad." Saliva spilt from the woman's tongue and Bianca jerked her head to the right. "We'll return to Orzammar, it won't matter what happens on the surface."

"Why?" She ground her teeth and felt a heavy strain in her eyes. "What could you possibly want from me? I'm old enough to go wherever I want."

She looked over her shoulder and, with an angered shout, kicked her heel back and into Marcus's inner left thigh. The man's bearded cheeks puffed up and his grip on her shirt loosened enough for her to twist free.

Amelia shrieked and swung her arms through the air, but Bianca ducked under her and flung herself towards the bed. "Leave me alone." She grabbed the axe from underneath and stood with her legs spread apart and the axe positioned vertically in front of her.

Her muscles grew tense and her knuckles white from gripping the haft as though it were her lifeline. She watched Marcus roll onto the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain. Amelia put her hands to her hips and shot a poisonous glare onto Bianca.

"It isn't what we want so much as what your mother wants." A shiver ran down her spine and she shook her head. "When you ran off, we couldn't keep watch over you. I don't know if you're still looking for your father or not, but-"

"Shut up." It had always been about her father, no doubt about that. Marcus and Amelia had always been quick to silence her whenever she posed a desire to find the man. "What has my father ever done to you?"

"Us?" Amelia raised her fingertips to her chest and bent her wrist upwards. "Oh nothing to us personally."

Marcus pushed himself to his feet and a sneer spread across his face. "Your mother has often said she wanted us to make sure you stayed away from him. She'd sooner have us give you to someone else if you ever made contact." Amelia rolled her eyes and scolded him for revealing the information. Bianca's jaw dropped and she took a slow step back.

Her breathing jumped and her eyes darted for the balcony that overlooked the battlements. On the center of the balcony railing, she made out a pair of hooks. Her body grew pale as she picture the couple climbing over the railing.

It was still early in the morning that the dawn wasn't in full swing. Most people would still be asleep, but guards rotated throughout the night. "How did you slip past the night watch? Cullen's people watch the battlements like a hawk, he makes them." Then there was Leliana, whose agents were made to hide in the shadows. "How in the hell are the two of you even here?"

Even Varric, who was high up in the Merchant's Guild, was able to keep merchants on high alert should anyone infiltrate the fort.

Marcus walked towards her and she tensed further while pushing her axe forward. "Not another step," she shouted. The man's fiery glare fell into hers and a paralyzing sensation swept through her.

"We should have killed your father a long time ago," Marcus growled. She gasped out and looked back at the balcony. "Your mother didn't want to, she wanted to control your father. To keep her under her thumb…Your mother can't resist having that man on the side, if he leaves her, we get rid of you so he'll never find you. That's the deal, and that's why you're coming with us."

"Too late." She swallowed the lump in her throat and started for the balcony while praying the hooks were indeed holding a rope ladder. Marcus was fast on her heels and before she could look to see what was below, his arms slipped around her abdomen.

She screamed out, hoping someone would hear her. Amelia ran up and thrust a piece of velvet cloth into her mouth. "Don't make this harder than it has to be," Amelia said with a sneer. The woman pulled the axe from her hand and Marcus locked her wrists together with his arm.

Bianca's vision started to blur and her head felt as though cluttered by clouds. "What's happening?" She asked with a slur, though her voice was muffled by the rag. She ran her tongue across it and cringed when a bitter flavor burned the tip. "You're poisoning me…"

"Not necessarily. You remember what this is, don't you dear?" Her throat started to burn and her body grew numb. "You shouldn't act so surprised that we got past the night guards."

The memory of Amelia's bow entered her mind and her eyes grew heavy. The woman was a hunter within Orzammar's nobility, so she and Marcus were often granted the privilege to leave for the surface. In this process, they had a potion sedative they used to knock out the animals that they would hunt.

They used the sedative on her when she was a child as well whenever she acted up.

She looked weakly at her left arm, groaning as the mark on her hand began to throb with pain. The more numb she became, the more pain she felt from the anchor. "Now," Amelia stated, "We're going to take you home and write to your mother to let her know you're safe and sound."

Bianca pushed the cloth from her mouth with her tongue, closing one eye as the bitter taste stung her. "Let me go," she said once the cloth dropped to the ground. "You don't know what's going on. The anchor…"

"What?" Marcus grabbed her hand and laughed. "This thing? We'll simply cut off your hand if it becomes a bother." The pain was beginning to go away now that she wasn't sucking on the chemical laced rag anymore, but that didn't mean it wouldn't have adverse effects lingering on the anchor.

"We will do no such thing, Marc." The woman scratched at her chin and paced to the right. "Now we've wasted enough time, we need to get her out of here without anyone noticing."

"They'd come looking," Bianca growled, "All of them, with my dad at the head." The pair froze and looked at her with their eyes wide open and their mouths agape. She flashed a weakened smirk. "You didn't realize my father was already here?" Marcus's arm relaxed for a brief moment, enough time for Bianca to escape his grip.

Thinking fast, she pulled her arms free with a grunt and tore off the glove she was wearing over her left hand. The green light spilled from the anchor, forcing Marcus and Amelia to fall back and shield their eyes.

Bianca took a deep breath and clenched her fist. "Long enough." She put her hand to the rail and pulled herself over and grabbed the nearest rope that was hanging down.

Her hands grasped onto the rope tight and she peered down at the ground and yelped when she saw how high off the ground she was. "Oh god…" She raised her head and saw the couple leaning over the railing and scowling down at her. "Shit."

"Get your ass back up here you idiot," Amelia screamed. "If you know what's good for you."

Her body still felt weak and numb, and her stomach had only the fleeting sensation of air within it. Certainly she would fall from being unable to hold onto the rope, and she wasn't strong enough at the moment to climb back up-not that she wanted to go up.

"Bianca!" Vivienne's voice filled the air around her and she glanced back at the battlements to see the woman waving her arm in the air. "Bianca darling, hang on."

"Vivienne." She strained her voice to speak, but every word from her raw throat came in broken breaths. "My adoptive parents. They poisoned me." Her clammy hands slipped on the rope and she let out a violent scream while throwing her legs around it. "I'm afraid of heights too." It was the only way she saw that she could escape, and she didn't have the time to think of an escape plan.

Vivienne whipped out her staff and Bianca felt a cool breeze flowing around her. Her grip on the rope loosened and one by one her fingers fell away from it until her body was entirely separated.

As she descended, she watched Marcus and Amelia leave from the balcony. Her eyes rolled upwards and she felt her body collapse into someone's arms. "I've got you," Vivienne whispered, "Let's get you inside, sweetie."

It took some time before she could regain both her consciousness and her strength. Leliana and Cullen had people their people searching every inch of Skyhold, but the couple were nowhere to be found.

Varric stood beside her as she lay on Vivienne's bed with her hands folded over her abdomen. "I should have been able to fight them," Bianca muttered, "I couldn't do anything. I can fight demons, I can fight darkspawn, but…"

"Shh." Varric placed his hand onto her forehead and peered down with a gentle smile. "You're okay now, and that's all that matters."

"What if they come back?"

"They won't. Cullen and Leliana are bolstering their people, it's going to be a lot harder for something like this to happen again." His voice was soft and soothing for her, like honey and silk. She closed her eyes and shifted in the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Her eyelids opened partially and she looked to the clouds rolling past Vivienne's balcony. "I think I just want to leave for the winter palace now. I…I need to be doing something."

"You need to rest. You've had a hellish day. We will head to the Winter Palace soon, but for now you should rest." He lifted a cup of water from the table and moved it before her. She started to sit upright, so he aided her by placing his right hand beneath her back.

"I'm okay. Really." She took the cup and moved it towards her dry lips. It was almost too much that he was so concerned, but she understood the reason behind it. "From now on, I think I'm just going to sleep with my balcony doors closed and locked."

Marcus and Amelia wouldn't try the same thing twice anyway, but any precaution was a good one. No matter how much of a shelter Skyhold was, it wasn't perfect. She thought she could let her guard down, but the moment she did, she was attacked by the last people she wanted to see.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, though about as much as you could. I certainly feel better about it after rewriting it. Thoughts?


	22. The Winter Palace

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: I feel I should remind you that as you know the game's storyline and that line is more a secondary matter to the personal matter of our lead protagonists, we're not going to focus entirely on the storyline. You're not going to get a bunch of chapters about Bianca trying to find clues to who is attempting to kill Empress Celene, for example. Rather, you will have this chapter….enjoy

* * *

Chapter 22 (The Winter Palace)

En route to the Winter Palace, Bianca was trying her best to focus on the coming celebration rather than the attack from Marcus and Amelia, though it was difficult. Varric walked swiftly behind her and he was looking towards everyone with protective glances.

The outfit she wore was a red, formal type of royal wear that was incredibly comfortable and durable, such that she was hardly used to it. "So we're meeting with Duke Gaspard?" She followed her advisors in and looked back towards her father. Solas and Cassandra were just behind him.

"Yes," Varric replied, "Somehow Josephine managed to get an invite from him." Gaspard was Celene's cousin, and the best way to get into the ball since someone was intercepting their warnings to Celene about a potential assassination attempt.

She could already tell it was going to be a long and exhausting night, but fun at the same time. Despite her adoptive family's noble status, she had never been to a ball like this before.

At the same time, she still hadn't talked much to her father and wanted to actually have a conversation with him. She thought this talk could happen during one of her breaks while on the search for clues regarding the assassin. "Maybe we can talk while we have some time?" Varric drew his eyes towards her and started to smile.

"Yes of course."

Cassandra looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Varric. "Given your reaction to Hawke, I'm surprised you're letting your daughter be a part of the Inquisition."

"Ah if I had it my way, you know where I would stand on the matter. I wouldn't let my family be involved in life threatening situations if I can prevent it." Cassandra replied with a nod.

It was a good feeling to have such a protective father, though perhaps it would be a bit much if she had dealt with an overprotective dad for the majority of her life. In this case, she couldn't complain.

At the introduction, many were shocked to see a Dwarven inquisitor. This didn't surprise her or strike her with curiosity quite as much as when Varric was announced to be of nobility. She knew he was wealthy and high up in the merchants guild, but nobility was something she hadn't thought of-but it was nice since he didn't parade around like a noble would. Nor did he flaunt his wealth in the same manner that her adoptive parents had done over the years.

This was very important and very pleasing to her.

When she heard Leliana call out to her she hurried towards the woman. The others went off to separate places of the palace, leaving her to explore on her own. "There is another matter I wish to alert you to." Leliana sat on a nearby railing and folded her hands on her top knee. "A woman, a powerful mage, has been appointed as Empress Celene's occult advisor…I've had dealings with her in the past, and she may know something about the possible assassination attempt on Celene's life."

Bianca flinched at the thought of a powerful mage behind the attempt on the Empress, but the stoic expression on Leliana's face suggested otherwise. "You don't think she might have something to do with it, do you?"

"No." Leliana smiled for a moment and shrugged. "Should you run into her, however, it may be crucial that you speak with her." Leliana curled a finger over her chin and slanted her eyes. "Also, you may know her, but I want you to be perfectly relaxed should you meet her."

"I will." She didn't know why it would be a concern if she knew the person or not, she would be able to relax just fine. "Why wouldn't I be relaxed? Is this someone dangerous?"

"That depends on who you ask. She is an old friend of mine. As far as being dangerous goes, perhaps not to you…"At this point she didn't want to argue and wasn't going to press when Leliana didn't seem to want to give details. The woman's gaze softened and a brisk sigh left her lips. "You will understand why I don't wish to tell you who it is right now when you see her, I want your focus to be on finding out who is trying to assassinate Empress Celene and not on the identity of her advisor."

"I understand…I'll start looking around, then."

"Okay then. I will be in the ballroom, should you require anything." Leliana stood and turned towards the door. "Cullen and Josephine will be there as well."

Following that, Bianca went on the hunt for any clues as to who could be plotting against the Empress. Celene's cousin Gaspard seemed genuine when he said he didn't wish to plot against his cousin's life, but she wasn't certain. Then there was the Empress's former elven lover, Briala, who was a spy with many secrets hiding amongst the servants.

When she met Celene at the introductions there was a woman standing beside her, this woman was a mystery to her and gave off a bad vibe, but Bianca hardly had a chance to speak with her. She was referred to as Grand Duchess Florianne.

During her search for clues, she learned that Varric was on the lower floor of the outside gardens and wanted to skip out for a second to speak with him. When she made it to the door, she was astonished to see someone by the name of Comte Doucy guarding it.

"You must be Inquisitor Cadash." The Comte moved his wrists behind his back and furrowed his brow at her. "Even with your title, I am afraid you cannot enter through here. The lower section is for VIP guests." Bianca frowned and leaned to the right, looking to the door.

"My father's down there. I'd like to talk to him."

"Oh? Who is your father?"

"Varric."

The Comte stared at her for an awkward amount of time, ending the silence with the shifting of his eyes and nose, then laughing. "Renowned author Varric Tethras? You can't expect me to believe such a tall claim?" She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"That is my father. Yes."

"Please." He waved her off and turned his head. "I am a great fan of his works, and any fan knows that Master Tethras has no children." She ground her teeth and her eyes fell to slants.

She didn't have to explain herself to this random person, but she was desperate to have a chance to talk to her dad. "I can't explain it to you, it's personal, but yes you'll have to take my word on it. He is my father, and I need to talk to him."

"I was going to suggest a way to enter-the gifts you would need…" The man put his hand to his chest and leaned back slowly. "But since you insist on such an absurd claim to attempt entry to a private section, I am afraid I will just turn you away."

She pointed to the door, raising her voice with frustration. "How about you just go down there and ask him?"

"Please. I doubt he would desire to be bothered right now, he is currently speaking to true fans of his work."

"His fans get to go in, but you won't let his daughter down there?"

"I refuse to listen to your absurd claim." He waved her off once more. Bianca scoffed in response and turned away, seeing that she wasn't getting through this man no matter what.

Varric wouldn't have publicized her birth, that much she understood given the circumstances and intrusion into his personal life at the time. After all these years, maybe things would change, but only time would tell. "I just can't get a moment alone with my dad," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes travelled towards a gated section of the garden wall that led upstairs and into another part of the area which could have clues to the unknown assassin.

A defeated sigh escaped her and she started for the fence. "I've got other things I do need to do, I suppose." She looked over her shoulder and watched the guard, he was still glaring at her with eyes like daggers. Even though he didn't understand, she was sick of people keeping her and her father apart. "Asshole…"

Time passed as she searched every nook and cranny of the palace and she still didn't feel any closer. There was a door into the servant's quarters, but it was locked, so she wasn't able to search that area despite that the servants were the ones that seemed to be the most suspicious.

As she grew tired she started for the ballroom to tell Leliana she was about ready to give up, but before she could leave she heard a voice beckon her. Bianca turned around and spotted an oddly familiar raven-haired woman in a long purple ball gown walking down a flight of steps.

"Well, well, what have we here?" The woman asked. She had a pleasant smile and odd colored eyes that looked ready to search her very soul. "Leader of the Inquisition and herald of Andraste?"

"You've heard of me?" She paused with her hand above the door handle. Her eyes scanned the woman while her mind tried to answer the question of familiarity. When she got a visual of this woman in a scanty outfit and a staff in her hand, her heart stopped. "It can't be…"

The woman tilted her head and raised a hand to her chin. "You've fallen silent? You stare as though attempting to figure me out. Perhaps I should introduce myself? My name is Morrigan. I am, as some would say an advisor to Empress Celene on all things arcane…"

This was the woman Leliana was talking about, but more than that. "I know you." Her heart threw itself against her chest. She pulled her hand away from the handle and started to approach the woman. On normal situations she would be untrusting, especially given that this woman had the ability to do as she pleased with magic. "You saved my life that day, didn't you?"

The woman folded her hands in front of her waist and raised her shoulders. Her voice grew soft and her eyes gentle. "To think, ten years and we should cross paths again in such a way. Still, I believe that is a discussion for another time."

She stammered past her agreement in an attempt to remain calm as Leliana told her to do. "I'm trying to find out who plans to assassinate Celene." She cleared her throat and slowly shook her head. "It can't possibly be you, you wouldn't have anything to do with it would you?"

"I would not, we hunt the same prey. If something should happen to her, of course all eyes would be on her arcane advisor…I cannot allow this." Morrigan extended her hand and opened it to reveal a key. "This goes out to the servants quarters, I suspect there may be something there."

Bianca graciously took the key and looked up to Morrigan's gaze. "Could you come with me?"

"I must stay and watch so that nothing happens to Celene. There will be plenty of time to discuss various matters afterwards."

"Okay. Thank you."

Within the hour, Bianca had run into Venatori agents and other spies that she was forced to fight her way through. There was a member of the council that had been murdered with what looked like a knife with the crest of Duke Gaspard on it.

Later they found a guard tied to Celene's bed after he had been tricked by the Empress, then another instance where it was discovered Ambassador Briala herself was planning something.

Finally after a long and arduous process, it wound up being Florianne-Gaspard's sister-who revealed herself as the one plotting an assassination. She also revealed herself to be working for Corypheus himself, then tried to kill Bianca so she couldn't stop her.

The plan did not work and Bianca proudly strode up to Florianne in front of the entire ball and calmly revealed her crimes for the Empress and all of Orlais to see. Gaspard turned his back on his sister as a result of her trying to frame him in the process. She then spoke to Celene about everything, convinced her to save Gaspard's life, and wound up letting Celene keep the throne.

At the end of it all Bianca had to step out onto one of the balconies for a breath of air. Morrigan paid her one final visit to inform her that she was named a liaison for the Inquisition and would be staying at Skyhold, but Bianca was far too exhausted for the excitement.

"God what a night." She leaned over the railing and peered out at the moonlit landscape. There was a cool wind in the air that helped to soothe her sore and aching muscles, and in the distance she could hear the pleasant sounds of birds chirping.

"Finally a moment of peace and quiet." Varric's voice startled her and she leaned away from the railing with a soft gasp. "I heard you were trying to get to the lower gardens to talk to me earlier. Sorry the guy didn't let you in."

She turned her head as he pat her on the back. "It's fine."

His right hand fell to the railing and he looked out at the landscape. "The view really does take away from the scheming and the danger, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"How are you feeling?"

"Honestly? It's been a long day." Varric turned towards her and propped himself onto his elbow, which rested over the rail. His right foot hooked his left and he looked to her with a curious and compassionate gaze. "I couldn't even be excited over Morrigan coming to Skyhold. She's one of those with Leliana and Oghren…"

"Right. That reminds me, I need to thank them." She glanced sideways at him and curled her mouth into a smile. "There's so much to talk about, so many years that we've missed out on. A lot of catching up to do, and it's probably not going to be easy."

"At least we have that chance."

Varric's eyes fell and he frowned for a moment. "I don't want you to think that I never tried." Bianca bit on her lip and looked towards the view. "Your mother would have me painted as the bad parent if she could."

"I don't know if I could believe her. I understand she tried to keep me away?"

"Yeah." Varric's hand moved over her wrist and pride glistened in his eyes. "No matter what, I am incredibly proud of who you've become." She looked into his eyes and her heart skipped. "I know you've been through a lot, and I wish more than anything I could have been there for you."

Her shoulders bounced and she leaned her head sideways. "You're here now." It wasn't too late, at least she didn't think it was. "I don't care about Corypheus, about mom, Marcus and Amelia, or even Lantos and the Carta." She closed her eyes and let out a strong exhale. "Right now, I just want to try and have a dad. You don't have to explain anything, I just want to be able to know you, be able to have a father that isn't an asshole."

"Well." Varric smirked and looked to the door. "I'm sure Cassandra might argue that last point." His chest expanded and he glanced back her way with a subtle smile. "But you're right, and I'm here now. I should have fought harder for you when you were a baby, but now that you're here, I won't let go."

She understood threats had been made, so there was no question in her mind that Varric was the wounded party. She didn't question whether or not he wanted her when it seemed obvious that he had. "If mom forced it, I'm not sure there's anything you could have done." Her head bowed and her hands closed tight. "I mean, maybe things would have been different for both of us if it wasn't for my mother, but there's no changing the past."

"No. There's only the future to worry about."

Her arms folded over her stomach and she leaned back against the balcony wall. She was struggling against the concern and nervous sensation within. After everything, she still wanted to be able to spend time with her dad despite the chaos they were dealing with. "Do you think we'll be able to even get to know each other, to be able to actually connect with everything that's happening?"

Varric started to hum and he turned towards the view. The tone in his voice grew soft, and he moved his hand outwards. "Look at the view, Bianca." She glanced over her shoulder and her concerns were washed away with a sense of serenity. "Given the chaos we're facing right now, we still have a moment like this where nothing is happening. There's no threat to our lives, there's no interruption, just solace. A quiet moment in the chaos; I doubt it will be the last."

"I guess it won't be." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I went to the Conclave to try and find you when I heard you were supposed to be there. I never thought what happened to me would ever have happened."

"Me either, and to be honest, I wish it hadn't." Her eyelids rose partially and she chuckled once. "But the Conclave brought us together, that mark on your hand that you hate so much is the reason that Cassandra kept you alive and introduced us." She straightened her back and opened her hand, peering down at the mark with mixed emotions.

"We may not pick our circumstances," Varric said with a sigh, "But we can control how we react to those situations. Like it or not, it's the reason we found one another, it's the reason I can say I have my daughter…and I'm looking forward to our future as your father." She raised her head up and was rendered speechless as tears spilled from her eyes.

Bianca started to sniffle and she quickly wiped away her tears, embarrassed to show them. She listened to the music coming from the ballroom and started to smile. "Dad, can I ask you something? It seems silly…"

"Sure."

"Well." She walked towards the center of the balcony and peered through the doorway. "Marcus and Amelia would talk about balls and parties, and I know there were these dances that people did, a father and daughter or even a mother and son, but-" Her face grew hot and she bowed her head while clearing her throat.

To her surprise, Varric extended his hand to her and a fatherly expression came over him. "I would be happy to." Her heart shot like a rocket and she carefully placed her hand in her father's. "It's been some time since I've done any sort of dancing, just so you know." It would be the first father-daughter dance she'd experience, and she couldn't be happier.

"Same, but at least we get to spend some time together before going back out there."

"That is true."

She could only hope they could build from here. The world was seemingly against them. Threats were evident from all sides, but now that she finally had her father, she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.

* * *

So we finally get to that sweet moment on the balcony of the Winter Palace. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Now don't forget there will be times I'll have the crew out in the field fighting, it's just that a lot of the stuff that happens in the game you know about. You don't need to see the speech the Inquisitor gives Florianne, for instance, as it doesn't pertain to the personal development of what the characters are dealing with. However, I hope you don't forget the casual mentions of the possibility that Corypheus may try and hit harder because Varric has a child and who that child is...


	23. Theorizing

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 23 (Theorizing)

Back at Skyhold, Bianca made her way to Cullen's office to try and figure out what their next move was going to be. They managed to track down Corypheus's top man, Samson, a former knight of Kirkwall.

Voices behind the door caught her attention, but she couldn't make out who was speaking. Rather than interrupt, she took a seat on the edge of the battlement wall and waited with her arms crossed and her gaze focused on the ground.

The latch of the door jamb drew her attention and when she looked up, she saw a tall woman with soft brown-near shoulder length hair leaving the office. She had beautiful blue eyes, a soft complexion and peach colored lips. Bianca watched the human female walk on by, her hips swayed sensually with each step and Bianca's eyebrows shot up.

"Well. I thought Cullen wasn't interested in any romantic pursuits…" She pushed herself up and entered the office. Cullen was facing the window behind his desk, arms neatly folded and his strong expression seemed focused as though intensely studying something. "Oh Commander?"

Cullen flinched and turned partially. "Inquisitor! Bianca. I wasn't expecting…"

"Uh huh." She smirked and gestured out the door. "So, who's the lady? I thought you turned down everyone at the Winter Palace." Cullen scratched his head and chuckled nervously.

"I er-I did. She's different, she's not one of those noble socialites. She and her brother were at the palace, but they were outside training." He dropped his hand and cleared his throat. "That was Trina Trevelyan. She's a soldier with her brother, Leon. Cassandra and I met them at the ball."

This meant the two left the party at some point of time, which was a shock considering neither of them ever appeared to take breaks. "So what you're telling me is _you_ actually took a break?" She laughed out as a blush spread over Cullen's cheeks. "It's nice to see you're not too focused on work."

"I won't get distracted again if-"

"Seriously, breaks are okay once in a while." She leaned her left shoulder against the wall. This was a perfect opportunity to take a break as well, she wanted to know more about this Trevelyan person. "So tell me, that woman didn't look Orlesian."

"She and her brother are from Ostwick, in the Free Marches. They did have a friend of the family who invited them to the ball."

"Oh. How did you come to meet them, then?"

"Cassandra and I were talking about the party when we looked outside and saw the siblings sparring together. We went out to join them." Cullen walked past his desk, sweeping the surface with his fingertips. "Should we not have?"

"I don't see any reason for you not to." She didn't ask anyone to not try and live their life as well. "I'm trying to live my life at the same time, I'd _like_ to have a life and to have something with my father, it wouldn't be right for me to keep you from doing the same thing." She stood straight and looked out the door. "So, you will be seeing her again? I hope?"

"You hope?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "You're always stuffed in this office without any free time, constantly working. You need _someone _to get you away from it all once in a while."

Cullen turned his lips into a smile and cast a lingering gaze out the door while lowering his tone of voice. "It takes quite a bit to impress me, and that is one impressive woman."

"Dare I ask about last night? No, I don't think I'll pry." She would definitely get in touch with Cassandra and find out if Trina's brother is still around. "Will they be benefiting the Inquisition as well?"

"Yes, they thought it would be a good cause to get involved with." Cullen glanced back at her and sat on the corner of his desk. "They should have been at the Conclave as well, you know, but as luck would have it, they got lost on the way."

"Funny how that works. I've met at least two others that should have been at the Conclave that day as well…" She looked down and tension spread over her face. "I guess fate decreed I was to be the one there."

"Can you truly still complain?" She raised her head up with a slight smile. "You're here, you're developing a relationship with your father, one that may never have happened if you weren't at the Conclave."

"I know, and I don't regret it. I'm glad for it." She opened her hand up and peered at the fingerless black glove that she wore to cover up the mark. "I still hate the damned anchor, don't get me wrong, but I don't hate what it's done for me."

"And what is that?"

"If it wasn't for this damned thing, I wouldn't be here." She was focusing on the throbbing sensation in her palm now, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. "If not for this, I probably wouldn't be near my father-I would have thought he died at the conclave, so I would have given up. I'd probably be dead right now. Whether by my own hand or someone else. I've made friends too, friends that I wouldn't have otherwise."

"So the anchor's done what, more good than bad for you?"

She caught the smirk growing on his face and met it with a single wry chuckle. "When you put it like that…" She closed and dropped her hand, and grinned from ear to ear. "I mean, I've met my personal heroes, those responsible for saving my life in the deep roads."

"And you still want that thing removed from your hand?"

"More than anything, but I'm not saying I couldn't live with it if I had to." She approached him and snapped her fingers upon remembering what she came here for. "Oh, I wanted to discuss Samson. What's our next move on him?"

"Our next move?" Cullen narrowed his eyes and hummed. "We track him down at his hideout." He swayed to the side and gestured at the side door with his head. "By the way, three trainers are here to try and train you to specialize in a specific trade."

"Oh?"

"Yes. A chevalier who wishes to make you a Champion, a Templar knight and someone that specializes in something called a 'Reaver'. I suggest talking to your father about these, but it's your decision to make if you want to learn any of those trades."

"I might." The Templar sounded the best, but at the same time she wasn't sure if it was worth it. Even Cullen was still struggling from withdrawal of the lyrium that Templars had to take in order to amplify their own abilities. He was doing better, but it was a struggle he'd have to deal with for some time, and she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with that. "I don't know what a Reaver is, but a Champion might be good."

"Ask Iron Bull about the Reaver training, I think he might know something about that."

"What do you suggest?"

"My advice? I would say to stay away from the Templar, whatever you do." Cullen sat in his chair and slid his hands onto the desk. "You'd be doing yourself a great favor by avoiding the Templar, and probably your father as well. If you want to be able to have a life with your father, I would definitely suggest staying away from the Templar." He raised his right hand and extended his index finger. "You have no idea how long it's been since I've seen my family because of my duties as a Templar."

"Okay. Point taken." She knew her ex specialized in Assassin training, but stealth wasn't her forte. "The champion thing stands out more to me anyway, less use of magic and aren't they more adept at defense?"

"Possibly."

With that said, Bianca hurried to her father to get his input on the matter involving the trainers. They left Skyhold grounds to walk the perimeter together and to overlook the landscape. "So you think training under the champion standard would be better?"

Varric locked his wrists behind his back and looked skywards with a soft hum. "I do." It was the nobler one of the three as well from what she understood, so she felt it was more appropriate given her father's connection to nobility. "Probably it's the safer bet as well."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He ran his hand over his chin and lowered his gaze to the ground. "If you want to become a Templar, you have to start taking that lyrium shit. Everyone that touches that stuff gets addicted and their mind goes to hell."

"That's what Cullen was saying…"

"Then this other trainer? I've heard a little about Reavers before, and I'm pretty sure it involves drinking the blood of dragons." Disgust stabbed at her stomach and she slowly moved her hands over her abdomen. Varric turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "Not to mention, you don't need to be fighting dragons. You could, but I'd prefer you didn't, those things are dangerous as hell."

"More dangerous than Corypheus?"

"Let's see. Hawke and I have fought Corypheus, and we fought a high dragon." His eyelids fell halfway and the corners of his mouth pulled back into his cheeks. "I'd rather fight Corypheus ten times than fight a dragon." She laughed for a moment and Varric started to smile.

"Okay, I get it." She preferred to train as a champion anyway. It was a nobler calling, champions were leaders and defenders, so it was perfect for her. "The champion training is for nobles though, isn't it?"

"Eh, sure."

"You're a noble?" Varric spread his arms out and bowed.

"Yes, and that makes you nobility too. Just don't act like you're better than everyone else, because we are not." He rose with a smirk plastered across his face and a daring glint in his eyes. "At least we don't want to act that way."

"Oh I understand, Marcus and Amelia were terrible about that." They stopped at a section of the castle that sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking a magnificent view of water far below that shimmered beneath the sun which tore the clouds apart above them.

Bianca took a deep breath and ran her hand over the back of her neck, it was hot to the touch and slightly clammy. "So, aside from what training to specialize in, away from Corypheus and the Inquisition and all that…" Varric turned his attention to her and leaned back against the wall of the castle. "I was hoping to ask you some questions about, well, our family."

"Ask anything you like."

"Were you always in Kirkwall?"

Varric folded his arms across his stomach and nodded. "My mother was not pregnant with me just yet when King Aeducan exiled my father from Orzammar. They joined the merchants guild at that point and moved to Kirkwall-it was the best place for Dwarven merchants at the time."

"Are they still around?"

Varric winced and looked away to the side. "I don't know how to talk about them, to be honest, but I will try." She furrowed her brow and bit the corner of her lower lip. "Abuse runs through our family like a curse, as much as I hate to say it." She bowed her head and Varric sighed. "My father passed away when I was only two years old and my mother developed an alcohol problem. When she drank, she would fall into her rages, and I was there to bear the brunt of it since my brother was off trying to follow dad's line of work."

Hearing about her grandmother dealt a crushing blow to her. She had hoped for grandparents, but not to the level of disappointment. She was more disheartened to hear that her grandmother had become an abusive drunk after her husband died. "Oh…"

Varric scratched the back of his head and closed his eyes. "I'm told that people follow some sort of pattern in their lives because of familiarity. I don't know how true that is, but after your own mother, I'm curious about the validity of that statement."

"My mother is-was-fairly abusive too?"

"As you know, she's the reason you're twenty years old and we're just now getting to know one another." He swept his hand down his sleeve and let inhaled slowly. "Your grandmother passed away before the Fifth Blight, and I assumed the head of House Tethras after your uncle, Bartrand passed a few years ago."

She moved next to Varric, mimicking his posture as she leaned against the wall. "What was he like?"

"Before going anywhere near that Lyrium Idol that drove him insane? He was already crazy enough, but he was my brother…He was a good person beneath that angry exterior." Varric looked to the scenery before them and started to chuckle. "Oh if he were still alive today and he heard about you, I wouldn't hear the end of it."

She smiled at the thought and looked towards the sky. "I would have liked to know him, I think."

"Maybe. Also, we're not technically noble anymore. Used to be, before my father was exiled."

"I see. I heard Orzammar nobles tended to hold high positions."

"You heard right." He smiled at her and walked forward a bit, stopping next to a large rock on the floor. He kicked his right foot on top of the rock and folded his forearms on top of his knee to lean against it. "House Tethras is known for holding the position of Steward for the Assembly. At least three of us held that position-my father, my grandfather and his father."

Her eyebrows shot up and she tried to picture her family at such a high position. "Wow. I can't say I've really ever seen the Assembly. I mean, I know they're kind of advisors to the king or their main purpose is to choose a king, and I know the Steward tends to be in charge of the city guard at times and he addresses the assembly, but that's about all I know."

"Yeah, you don't need to know too much about it." Varric exhaled and shook his head. "Orzammar politics is far too confusing anyway, and like I was telling Solas the other day…I have little connection to Orzammar."

"Yeah, you probably don't want to go back there."

"I prefer the surface, to be honest. What about you?"

"I've only ever been out of Orzammar when Marcus and Amelia would venture out for whatever reason." Marcus held a high position of nobility as well that allowed him to leave Orzammar at his leisure without being chastised for it, which was how she wound up in Kirkwall when she was five and still managed to get lost in the deep roads when she was ten. "Officially I didn't start living around the surface until I joined Dasher's clan."

"When was that?"

"Whenever I was fifteen or sixteen. It's not important."

Varric stood erect and moved his foot back to the ground. "What do you think of the surface?"

"Not as bad as people make it out to be, but I could do without all the crappy demons, darkspawn, and everything else." Varric threw his head back and shook with laughter. Bianca smiled softly and glanced to the ground.

She kicked a nearby pebble and thought on what her father was saying about how abuse seemed to run in the family. It was strange, but maybe the chain could stop at this point. She was trying to stand up for herself more, and the more she thought about it the more she acknowledged that a good person may be taking an interest in her.

"Do you think Sandal is a good guy?" Varric raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"He's never done anything wrong as far as I can tell. Why?"

"I just, well I don't know…I'm not interested in relationships right now, but he seems to like me. Or maybe I'm imagining that, I'm not sure."

"Take your time, and if you're ready you'll know. Sandal's a decent kid, though I'll have to talk to him a bit more." Varric turned around, gazing at the mountains in the distance. His eyelids slid down and his chest expanded slowly. "You know something? Hawke's fiancé, Isabela, she's sailed outside Thedas."

"Really?" She moved beside her father and followed her gaze. Her lips separated and intrigue filled her chest. "I think Josephine was asking about that in the war room a while ago. We have a map of Thedas and she asked if anyone ever thought about 'what was beyond the map'."

"Thedas is essentially an island, or it's part of one." She fell quiet and turned towards her father, eager to hear what he had to say. "Isabela said when she ventured out, the sea was almost endless, but she finally touched down on land and had the opportunity to speak with people in the country she found…"

"What did she learn?"

"The world outside of Thedas? You know they've never even heard of the 'Blight'?" Her jaw dropped and Varric started to laugh. "Hell, it seems dwarves are really just short humans."

"Wait? We're human?"

"Possibly." He shrugged. "Isabela spoke of dwarves and she said she was looked at oddly for talking about us like we were a separate race of people. These people don't know what the blight is, they have their own views of demons…"

"Such as?"

"Let's just say their 'divine' and their 'chantry' is much different than what we have." He rolled his head to the right and his forehead creased in the center. "Or that's what Isabela says. It's a very different world out there, our country appears to have been hidden away by the first blight somehow. Either that, or any explorers from the outside world were too horrified to say anything."

"So if blights, darkspawn, and demons only inhabit Thedas and Tevinter-"

"And mages." He snapped his fingers and raised his eyebrows. "Isabela said some people study alchemy outside our continent, but nobody possesses magic abilities." He crossed his arms and slanted his eyes. "Possibly has to do with the fact that ancient elves seem to have been based solely here in Thedas. Either magic doesn't exist outside Thedas, or it does and people out there are less inclined to use it."

"It all probably has to do with Corypheus and the people that entered into the black city or something. Right?"

"That's what I'm thinking." Varric lowered his arms and turned his eyes upwards. "Isabela has this theory that something happened in ancient times, that for whatever reason the continent we live on is where the ancient elves and those who practice magic were sent to-perhaps cursed to live here."

"We can't practice magic." She folded her arms and scoffed at the thought. "Either way, I would love to see this world outside Thedas." Varric smiled and glanced sideways at her.

"I was thinking the same. A land without darkspawn, without magical corruption at every corner or strange and twisted creatures? I'd love to explore it. I think it has more to do with the ancient elves than anything, though."

"Why?"

"Because, Isabela also said the people in these other lands have only heard about elves in _novels_. They don't exist outside our continent, apparently, so maybe ancient elves that got caught up in magic remained solely on this continent and never saw reason to leave."

"Like how we are in Orzammar?"

"Right." He snapped his fingers and raised his eyebrows. "Maybe those ancients were sticklers for tradition and decided to remain here, and maybe ancient humans came to these lands and mingled with these ancient elves…so what if that's why humans and elves can practice but we can't? It's not in our genetic code?"

Her eyes widened for a moment and she chuckled almost disbelievingly. "If that theory were true, can you imagine the field day everyone would have?"

"Possibly, but what else could there be?"

"I don't know…" She wasn't too concerned with the how's or why's of magic and its existence within the continent that Thedas was on. Her mind was now fixated on a new thought, outward exploration. "Do you think…maybe Isabela could take us there? To this other land?"

"She's offered. She says despite that they have their own problems, it's 'nicer' than Thedas." Varric paused and rolled his eyes. "I can't _possibly_ imagine why." Bianca laughed and Varric grinned openly. "Perhaps when this is all over…I'll write to Isabela and see if she and Hawke would be up for that exploration."

"And just leave all of Thedas behind?"

"Leave the Carta, leave the darkspawn and the blights, and the chaos that is the constant warring of elves against humans, mage against everyone else…yeah, I'd say an 'seaworthy escape' is a good one."

"Just get away from it all…I'd like that."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. What are some of your thoughts and observations here? Also, yes, we just saw the last cameo up at the start. What do you think of the theory that magic may start with the ancient elves? I might suggest there's more to that theory than what has been said here. Also important, Bianca and Varric finally get to have a good detailed talk about family and whatnot.


	24. The Western Approach

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Oh don't worry, there's definitely a reason for the theory. Actually, I never thought Thedas was the whole planet, I figured there were lands outside the map. Based on the party banter in the War Room where Josephine asks if anyone's ever thought about what was outside of Thedas, but Leliana tells her they have too much going on to even bother thinking of it.

* * *

Chapter 24 (The Western Approach)

The blade made a sloshing noise as it sank into the tarred body of a Shade demon. A heated feeling approached from behind and she turned to see the demon of fire known as a Rage demon. Her eyes widened as it began to grow as though someone doused it in oil.

As it neared the peak of its height, it was instantly turned to ice. Thinking fast, Bianca shattered the demon with her axe and smiled when she saw Solas standing with his staff ready. "Thanks for that." He smiled back and lowered his staff.

"You looked as though you could use the help." Bianca chuckled and glanced to the right in time to see another shade demon approaching. She rolled her eyes and smacked it with the flat side of her weapon, causing it to fall back and look around as though disoriented. She then followed through by swinging the blade down in an overhead arc, slicing the creature in two.

"The more help, the merrier." She let out a grunt and felt her left hand vibrate. Her eyes traveled towards the rift in the sky and she raised her hand, sighing as she used the anchor to close the rift.

The rift slammed shut and she clenched her hand while holding in place for a minute. Her breathing was deep and fell from her lips in heavy pants while her hair clung tight to the sweat on her forehead and her neck.

"Those things are easier to fight than humans," she muttered. Her eyes traveled towards the ritual building in the distance, with only a sea of brown desert sand between them. "Thane and Stroud said the grey wardens are meeting out here? Why out here, of all places?"

It was hot, the wind burned her tongue and her body was rough from the sand that blew onto her body. "I suppose it's as good a place as any."

The Western Approach was one of the lingering reminders of the _second_ blight, and it had almost every enemy traversing the deserts. Whether it was darkspawn, the Venatori that worked with Corypheus, or whatever was causing the problems with the Wardens.

After meeting with Stroud in Crestwood, she learned that Corypheus had every Warden in Thedas hearing a fake calling. The calling was supposed to be a noise that made the wardens believe themselves to be dying, and now they were working on some insane plan to end all future blights under the guidance of Warden-Commander Clarel.

"Thank god there are no corpses walking around here, at least." Crestwood was littered with undead that arose from a flood that occurred during the last blight. After they captured the Keep and released the waters, in order to close the rift causing the dead to rise, they discovered it was Crestwood's mayor that caused the flood in the first place.

Cassandra sheathed her sword and took a deep breath. "How many rifts have we closed so far?" Bianca shrugged and looked to her father. Many had already been closed, and scouts were reporting less and less in existence. "Clearing them all sounds excruciating."

"It does." She and her father discussed the process of making sure all the rifts were closed before they stopped Corypheus and left the country, but they hadn't discussed the option with the others yet. Since it was still a thought and not a decision, she didn't want to upset anyone or get anyone thinking something was going to happen when there was no such promise being made yet. "Dad and I are going to ensure they're all cleared out though."

Varric nodded and his mouth curled into a confident smirk. "Yeah." He returned the crossbow to its holder on his back and glanced towards a hyena running in the distance. "Whenever my kid can officially retire from fighting demons, I'll be thrilled."

Cassandra raised her eyebrows and the group started towards the building. "I wonder Varric. When all of this is over, what do you have planned?"

"Not sure yet. We've got some ideas."

The others looked to Bianca and she flashed a smile. "I'm planning on staying with Dad if I can. I've spent too long looking for my father to just separate from him now. We might leave the Inquisition when it's all said and done, though…" Cassandra's mouth turned to an oval and Solas started to hum.

"The purpose of the Inquisition was to restore order to Thedas," Solas said, "I imagine once Corypheus has been stopped and the new Divine is elected, there will be no more need for the Inquisition."

Cassandra grunted on the possibility and shook her shoulders. "I suppose not, but if so, it will be in need of a leader once you leave." She folded her arms and leaned her head to the right. "I would not ask you to remain after everything is finished if you do not wish to stay, Bianca."

"Thank you." She looked at her father, who walked on in front of the group, then back to her father. "Finally meeting my dad, this is my chance to have a normal life. No offense, but the Inquisition gets in the way of that."

"I truly understand, I would not hold you from doing what you wish."

Cassandra picked up the pace, stepping alongside Varric. Bianca watched the two with a smile, listening as her friend apologized for the fight they had before. Solas lagged behind a bit, turning towards her. When she met his inquisitive eyes, she stopped next to him.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Solas?" She smiled at him and he responded with a subtle nod.

"Yes, I was making my rounds the other day and I overheard you and your father." She raised an eyebrow and followed the man closely. "When the two of you were outside Skyhold. You were discussing something, I didn't want to disturb you of course."

"Yeah, what did you hear?"

"You wish to leave Thedas?" She leaned her head back and her lips parted briefly. The old elf furrowed his brow and frowned. "Neither of you appear to be happy here. It's not hard to see."

"There's not a lot of good left in this country. I see no reason to stay when all I have are bad memories. So yeah, we were talking about sailing out to another land…" Her gaze traveled towards Cassandra and her mouth slid into a sad smile. "It isn't something we've decided on just yet, so I didn't want to bring it up with anyone."

"You have made friends here."

"Sera, Cole, Cassandra…everyone." Her heart sank as she thought about leaving them all behind. It was gut-wrenching, but she was certain they'd understand. "It's a fresh start, away from it all. Away from people who hurt me in the past, away from people who hurt my father…so just the two of us."

"I fully understand." His hand rose towards his chin and he scratched beneath it. "You two were speaking of a theory of sorts, something that one of his friends ran into on her travels."

"Yeah." She ran her hand across the back of her neck, sighing as her skin started to sizzle at the touch. "How much do you know about ancient elven history, Solas?"

"Plenty. I know enough that, if you wish honesty, I can say Varric's theory comes very close to reality." Her eyebrows rose and she looked swiftly at him, holding back a gasp of surprise. "There are a few differences to the story, and I don't know the fullest details. I do know that your father's friend is right that humans in another land are startled by the stories of Thedas. The ancient elves saw the dangers of magic and did not wish to corrupt the rest of the world, so they locked Thedas in with a powerful barrier."

"So, they wanted to keep people in and people out?"

"Yes. It is extremely difficult for sailors to leave, and no one comes in unless they were allowed passage through the barrier once before." She was curious how he knew so much about the barrier and its magic, but since he was so well versed in the Fade, it didn't surprise her too much.

"What do you know about dwarves? Anything? Are we just really short humans or something?"

Solas leaned his head back and let out a loud laugh which caused both Cassandra and Varric to turn their heads back momentarily. "Yes. The reason dwarves cannot use magic stems from the two factions of humans that originally sailed to this land before the time of the barrier."

"Oh?"

"They were laborers with their growth stunted by whatever work they'd done from where they came from. They came with military leaders from other lands, those who were average sized or taller. The two groups separated upon reaching land because the laborers wanted to get to work while the other group wanted to get to know the 'natives'. One group mingled with the ancient elves, and that is why humans can perform magic whereas your ancestors built roads and tunnels that eventually led underground."

It took a moment to process the news that her ancestors simply chose not to bother with the ancients, and therefore they couldn't perform magic because it wasn't in their blood. It was an interesting concept, and even more interesting the explanation of why they were still just simply short, her ancestors never mated with the humans or the ancient elves.

"I do not know much more than this, however." Solas crossed his arms and his eyes slanted as they approached the ritual grounds. "I believe it was said that the ancients created the barrier when the humans began to take advantage of the magic. The war that began thousands of years ago between the elves and humans may have resulted in that barrier being erected for all I know."

"Interesting if true." She scratched her head and chuckled softly. "I can't imagine what everyone in Orzammar would think about the fact that we're just short humans to the rest of the world. And that war resulting in the barrier? That's…I don't know what to say to that."

"Honestly it could be a number of things. The ancients may have erected it when the magisters that entered the black city started the blights." A thoughtful hum drifted from her lips and Solas moved his eyes to the side. "At the same time, it may have been before that. The barrier is what holds the blights inside Thedas. The rest of the world is 'pure' while Thedas is corrupted. The barrier may have saved the rest of the world if it was up already…there is no telling what is the truth unless we were to speak to an ancient elf."

"If only…"

"The truth of the matter is, you nor your father have any idea what is outside that barrier. The land may not be impacted by darkspawn, magic, or the blights…but those lands are not without their own troubles."

"I wouldn't expect them to be. It's the adventure I think that matters, really."

"Pilgrimage. Has Varric's friend reported anything more?"

"A little." The outside world had a different calendars than they did. The dominant religion was similar to what the Chantry had with Andraste and the Divine; but like Tevinters had a male Divine, the other lands had a male head of their religion. "They don't have a Divine. They have kings and queens, they have something called a Crusade, and they have Templars…"

Solas choked on the air and put his hand to his chest, stammering out in shock. "Really? They have Templars?" Bianca's brow furrowed and her lips pressed together.

"Yes, but Isabela says they're nothing like the Templars we have here. They can't stop magic of course, they don't take Lyrium-I doubt they know what Lyrium is-and they sound like they think on a much different scale than the Templars here."

"Less oppressive, I hope."

"Yeah. They're tied to the religion of the other lands."

Solas rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Unsurprising."

They reached the ritual grounds and found a Tevinter magister performing a binding ritual on mages. It was horrifying to watch the grey wardens creating demons and being bound to Corypheus's will. When she tried to stop them and make them realize what was going on, it failed.

The magister, Erimond, tried to rip the anchor from her-which was an excruciating ordeal-but she managed to break free. A fight with the Wardens broke out, much to her chagrin. She was grateful when it was over and they could leave.

What they learned was even more chilling: Corypheus was using the fake call to make the wardens believe they were going to end all future blights while controlling them and generating an army of demons that could be used to take over Thedas.

On their way back to Skyhold and after Bianca finished processing everything, she glanced at Solas and muttered under her breath. "And yet you wonder why I would love the opportunity to leave Thedas behind." Whatever problems this mysterious land across the ocean may bear certainly couldn't be as bad as the hell they were enduring here and now.

* * *

What are your thoughts? You know, the talk in this chapter makes me think I could probably do a sequel later on. That's down the line. Now, I know Bianca Davri isn't really introduced until after the Fade questline, but do you think I should bump that up? 24 chapters and I feel it's about time to introduce Bianca Davri...The Cadashes found Bianca and Varric (Granted they had no idea he was there), Bianca certainly would know to get there by now...


	25. Bianca Davri: The Mother

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: 25 tends to be a milestone number on many cases, _so_ without further ado, here she is…Also yes I'm putting this up way early for you because one, it's been this long, and two: The last chapter was more of a "filler" I guess. Here she is, the mother, and you can forgive the pun...though by the time this chapter's over you may wonder whether or not she is as bad as The Mother.

* * *

Chapter 25 (Bianca Davri: The Mother)

Bianca awoke with the sun once more shining through the windows of her bedroom. The balcony doors were shut and locked as she preferred them now, and the bed was warm from baking in the sun.

She hopped out of the bed and dressed herself, eager to have breakfast with her father. Varric was preparing the breakfast today, saying he wanted to treat her to an old favorite of his.

Today was to be a slow day where they wouldn't have to go anywhere-the trip to Adament Fortress where the wardens had run off to wasn't for another few days. This was good, since she wasn't ready to fight wardens. Hell, her personal heroes were wardens, so even if they were under control of Corypheus, she couldn't bring herself to fight them just yet.

Bianca pushed open the doors of the balcony and stepped outside for a breath of air. The wind was cool and crisp, and it felt refreshing against her cheeks. "God it's a gorgeous day." A smile spread over her face as she peered at the distant mountains and the clouds in the sky. "Absolutely nothing can go wrong if we don't leave Skyhold."

Having followed up on Cassandra's question posed during their travels to the Western Approach, scouts went out to take a count of all the rifts in the surrounding areas, and the news was a bit better than anticipated. They'd covered the majority of rifts on their travels, so she wasn't entirely worried about leaving any untouched.

Once she left her room and entered the main hall, she turned her gaze down towards Varric's table. When she saw a cloaked person next to him, she squinted and leaned forward. "Who's that?" As she studied the figure, a strange and almost revolting sensation began to form in her gut.

From what she could tell in the distance, it was a woman. This woman was an inch shorter than Varric and he was leaning away from her.

In order to sate her curiosity she approached them, but the closer she got, the more nervous she became. Varric's forehead was tense and his eyebrows were pushing up a wrinkle between them. His hands were clenched and his head was bowed.

The woman, however, looked to be much more confident. Her shoulders were broad, her head was held high and she was very still-like a statue. When she was close enough to see the woman's face, she recognized her as having been in Haven talking to Josephine at one point of time.

The woman's eyebrows were thin and a similar color as Varric's. Her ruby lips were plump and flattened into a line across her strong jaw. While the woman's body looked so small that Varric could almost crush her bones if he hugged her too tight, she gave the appearance of being stronger than he was as if she could crush him with so much as a look.

"Oh no," Bianca whispered under her breath, "Don't be…" Her heart started to race when the woman's eyes met hers and slanted. Varric raised his head and opened his mouth, greeting her with a gasp. Before he could get a word out edgewise, the woman introduced herself.

"So you're the Inquisitor." The woman smiled, but her eyes didn't budge. They were scalding, scorching her with greater intensity than what a Rage demon could hope to accomplish. "Bianca Davri." Davri grunted and raised an eyebrow. "At your service."

"So." Her eyes darted to Varric, who was rubbing his neck and looking away nervously. "Your name is Bianca too? Like Varric's crossbow?" Varric's eyes darted back and Davri shrugged.

"It's a common name, as I'm _sure_ you know. Half the girls in the merchant's guild are named that, and the rest are Helga." Davri's eyes slid down Bianca's body and then up towards her face. "Nice to meet you, of course…."

"Um, you too. So, you're a friend of Varric's?" She didn't want to give up her father just yet, and she still didn't want to believe that this might be her mother. _"What is she doing here? Why is she here and why does Dad look so fragile?"_

"Who isn't his friend?" Davri flashed a pleasant smile and swept her hands out sideways. "You've met him. Obviously." Her stomach lurched and the tendrils of fear started to wrap its icy claws around her throat.

It was difficult to push down the fear she had, but even more to extinguish the anger that was slowly brewing in her heart. She knew this woman was the one that sent her away, she knew this woman had some sort of power over her father, and she did not like the feeling that she was being sized up.

"So what's going on? What were you two talking about?"

Varric raised his shoulders with a sigh and looked over. "She found a source of the red lyrium that we've been finding all over Thedas." Bianca cringed and opened her mouth, but Davri spoke up quickly.

"I'll brief her for you, Varric." She clamped her mouth shut and ground her teeth as Varric bowed his head again and shook it. Davri crossed her arms and spoke again with a voice like honey to disguise the venom behind her tone. "There's a thaig near Bartrand's Folly, a deep roads entrance with people taking out red lyrium by the handful."

This was bad; any place where red lyrium was being produced or sold needed to be dealt with regardless. So rather than exchange fire via glares, Bianca opted to focus on the information.

"Who leaked the location?"

Varric explained that a few friends from the merchant's guild knew something, but overall there was no true certainty who gave the location. "That isn't important," Davri interrupted, "What matters is we know where the location is now."

"How do you know about this place if it's so secret?"

"I told her," Varric answered. Bianca frowned and he crossed his arms. "After the expedition, I had some stuff that needed to be sold and she had contacts. Of course, I told her about the red lyrium that we found."

"Oh." She cleared the thickening sensation in her throat and met her mother's eyes with a calm gaze of her own. She didn't want to make this woman realize that she knew who she was, nor did she want her mother to think she could affect her in any way.

After what happened with Marcus and Amelia, she wasn't about to fool herself into thinking that Davri wouldn't realize just who she was. The only question on her mind was whether Davri was here to help with the red lyrium problem, or if she was there for a different reason.

"We should deal with that problem then, because as long as Corypheus has access to that stuff, he's powerful." Varric agreed and Davri's eyebrows started to rise.

"Alright, whenever you're ready to deal with shutting it down, let me know." Davri's eyes slid to Varric and he froze as though paralyzed by a mage's spell. "Try not to keep me waiting, Varric. I have my own work to deal with."

She walked off and Varric shook himself. "Right." He pulled his eyebrows together and looked at Bianca. "That's not going to be any trouble at all."

"What is she doing here, Dad?" Bianca crossed her arms. Varric's eyes closed and a trembling breath wafted from his lips.

"I'd like to say she's helping with our cause. I think she is, but I think she might have other things in mind as well…just be careful around her."

Bianca glanced at the castle doors to see Davri watching her from the outside. "You don't need to keep dealing with her if you don't want to, Dad. Stand up to her." Varric let out a nervous chuckle and shook his head. "How is she still even in your life? How does she have that power over you?"

"She would always promise that if we stayed together long enough, she'd bring you into our lives again." She closed her hands and felt a spark of anger in her heart. "Anytime I wanted to end things, or every damn time we'd fight-or I disagreed with her, she'd threaten to tell the Cadashes to send you away where I would be sure never to see you again."

"Every time you disagreed with her? Dad, I'm here now, how's she going to send me away?" Bianca raised her hands to her chest and started to chuckle. "There's no way. She has no more power over you-Marcus and Amelia can't do anything."

"Yeah." His shoulders fell and he scraped his hand across his forehead. "They still tried. With her here…there's no telling what she'd do." He was afraid of her, that's what the problem was. She knew he could assert himself when he wanted, but her mother had controlled him for so long that even though Bianca was out of that woman's grasp, he was still afraid.

Thinking to try and console him for her mother's recent appearance, she reached over and hugged him. "You don't have to worry anymore, Dad. She doesn't have power over you."

"It's not that simple, Bianca. She sees you as a threat, I think…"

"A threat?" Her head jerked back and she raised an eyebrow. "Why am I a threat? I'm her daughter, aren't I?" She wanted to talk to her mother and figure out what was going on, why she'd done the things she'd done, but now she wasn't feeling like going anywhere near her. "If anything, she should tell me why I was nothing more than an object to try and control you with…"

"I'm sorry." He breathed in and ran his hand through his hair. "Honestly, the minute you were born I was ready to petition whatever King to take sole custody of you." She gave a tiny smile and watched as he paced to the right. "I was a surface dwarf, but I didn't care. I was sending letters to King Maric, and even King Aeducan. Anything I could do, and I knew once I could raise my daughter…I was ending my affair with your mother."

"Oh."

"She could be with the man she was married to and I'd raise you on my own since she was so adamant against leaving that man." He turned his eyes towards the doorway and started to growl. "Of course she didn't want you, she said you'd ruin that marriage anyway."

Bianca closed her eyes and grunted as the bile in her stomach began to boil. "Why was that marriage so important to her that I wasn't good enough for her, Dad?"

"I have money enough to raise a child, sure. I have plenty of money, but _he_ has more. The man she's married to is more convenient for her. She always said that I 'made her happier'" He crossed his arms and shook his head. "But she didn't want to hand you over to me because she knew the minute she did, I would end the relationship."

"You'd be right to."

"She didn't think so." Varric sat at the table and Bianca did the same, keeping her gaze with his. "She knew how much I wanted you in my life, so she used that to keep me…make me think that if I stayed with her, I'd get to see you again."

She pursed her lips and her forehead wrinkled as she watched him slide his hands over the top of his head. He groaned once and ran his hands down his face. "But Dad..." He opened his eyes and looked to her with a weakened smile. "I'm here _now_. Why are you still afraid of her?"

"Because…Your mother can't be underestimated. There's a reason she's here, and I don't care how nice she acts, there has to be some reason she's here." He turned his head and narrowed his eyes. "And I'm not being paranoid. At least I hope not."

The entrance to the deep roads was the murky cave known as Valammar, found near the Hinterlands. They dealt with it when they fought a number of bandits on the Hinterlands that led to a number of Carta working within.

The clan wasn't hers, so she didn't have to suffer running into them, but the leader made a remark that sounded as though he knew her. Fortunately they managed to bring down most of them, which was the first time she ever felt okay with having to kill someone. She didn't want them getting to Dasher's clan and having her former Carta gang members coming after her.

Although considering Lantos, she was surprised they hadn't gone after her yet. It was as though Lantos hadn't told them where she was, or was keeping them at bay-if that was even a possibility.

When they made contact with Davri in the deep roads, she greeted them pleasantly and then made a snide remark about them taking so long to get there. It threw Bianca for a loop, and she almost wanted to making a smart remark back, but part of her was afraid to say anything to the woman.

She was suspicious of how much Davri knew about the location, to the point she felt something was off. This woman could hardly be trusted, and judging by the look of mistrust in Varric's eyes, he sensed the same.

When they reached a strange door, Davri had it open without a single issue. It was surprising to see that she had enough time to make some changes, but when questioned, the woman replied simply that she already informed them that she'd been down in these areas before.

The only thing that made Bianca feel comfortable around this woman was the fact that Solas and Cassandra were with them. Every second of exploring the place, Davri was behind them and Bianca was terrified that she could feel the prick of Davri's bow and arrow at her neck.

It wasn't until they pushed through a number of smugglers, both human and Carta, that they found a key that clearly belonged to Davri at the very end. Bianca's lips separated and her brow furrowed when Varric looked to the woman with disappointment.

Now it was clear that whoever was responsible for leaking the red lyrium was none other than Davri herself. For whatever reason, Corypheus had access to red lyrium and its research because of this woman.

To make matters worse, Davri revealed that red lyrium was somehow alive in the sense that it was infected with the blight. Which was something else that Bianca could chalk up to blaming on magic.

According to Davri, there was a grey warden mage that was interested in helping with the research. A mage by the name of Larius, so Davri handed him the key. When she mentioned this, Varric grew visibly upset and explained that not only was Larius not originally a mage, but he was the grey warden he and Hawke met in the den where they fought Corypheus for the first time.

Bianca's heart sank upon hearing the news, and her stomach churned to the point of wishing a bucket were nearby. All the stress and agitation caused her a fit of nausea as well as rage.

"This isn't one of your machines," Varric said while approaching the sneering woman. "You can't just replace one of the parts and think you can fix it." Davri scoffed and glared back with intense rage.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought I could try at least. Or am I supposed to wallow in my mistakes forever and tell stories about what I should have done? Hm?" Bianca hesitated and her eyes widened as she looked to her father.

"As if I would tell stories about my own mistakes."

She wanted to say something before this escalated. Even looking over her shoulders she could see Cassandra and Solas both appeared to be extremely nervous. "Look, the red lyrium is already out." She spoke slowly and calmly in an attempt to soothe the already heated situation. Her parents turned their gazes on her, and everything fell silent. "Really, closing the entrance isn't going to undo that…"

Varric let out a sigh before telling Davri to go ahead and get home to the man she was married to. He walked off a few feet and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

Before she left, Davri shot Bianca a look and the skin around her eyes and nose tensed. "You get him killed, and I'll feed you your eyeballs, _Inquisitor."_ Her words were filled with such venom that they paralyzed her on the spot. Her heart stopped for a moment and she watched as her father shot Davri an angered look.

"Don't talk to my daughter like that." Davri's lips pulled apart and she bared her teeth at him before marching off on her own.

Nothing more was said until they reached Skyhold. The journey was long and Bianca was exhausted, but she wanted to take in the scenery outside the castle walls for a moment. Varric went inside to get some rest while Cassandra waited with Bianca for a few minutes before letting her be alone.

She stood at the end of the long bridge, leaning against the stone edge and peering down below. The day had been so long that she felt she could fall asleep right where she was. Her armor had become so heavy as well during the walk that she had to remove it so she could relax.

At that moment it was at her feet with her axe, and she was in her standard outfit that she wore beneath her armor. "Hey." A voice grabbed her attention and she turned her head to see Davri standing outside a small horse-drawn carriage.

Bianca's muscles tightened as the woman approached her. Davri's hands were clenched into tight fists and her snake-like eyes seemed to pierce her with the sharpness of her arrows. "What are you doing here? I thought you left us."

"I did." Davri stepped between her and her axe and folded her arms on the stone wall in front of them. The mother glanced sideways at the guards standing outside the gate. "I wanted to talk to you. To apologize."

"For what?" She turned her back to the wall and crossed her arms. Every fiber of her body was telling her to get away from this woman, but she ignored it while remaining tense.

Seeing how Davri handled herself in Valammar, she knew this woman was swift with her bow and arrows. If she tried to fight her, she might have an issue. "Well." Davri started to smile and raised her hand towards Bianca's face. "I did want to see you and I am sorry you had to see that argument with your father."

Bianca pulled away and Davri's hand hovered for a moment in midair. "So you know who I am, then?" During their journey into Valammar, Davri mentioned a letter Varric wrote to her, saying she hadn't heard from him since the chantry explosion. It was in this letter he mentioned red lyrium, and likely that same letter he would have mentioned Bianca.

"Of course. It's been so many years." Davri lowered her hand and a motherly expression came over her face. Bianca's forehead tensed and her heart flickered for a moment. If she didn't know better already, she might be lulled into a false sense of security. "I just want you to know, I never wanted to give you up. It's just…circumstances at the time."

Bianca rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Whatever." Davri frowned at her and reached around her back, holding her hands at her waist. "I know the truth. I was nothing but a tool to you. A threat."

"What would make you think that, sweetheart?"

"That's what my father said."

"But Varric likes to tell stories, honey." She felt a shiver of disgust down her spine and clenched her teeth behind closed lips. Davri raised a hand to Bianca's upper arm and looked down at her left hand. "I am…so sorry about the mark on your hand."

"I'm dealing with it." Bianca's eyes traveled to the anchor and she took a deep breath. "Once I'm done with stuff here, I can stop worrying about it."

"What will you do? Go back to the Carta? Go back to your family?"

"Family?" She laughed and glanced at the gate. "I finally found my dad, he's all the family I need." Davri's eyes narrowed and her lips seemed to thin. A jolt of fear struck her heart and she felt a tightening in her chest. "Look, I'm sorry you two fought back at Valammar."

"He needs to learn, I'm usually right." Davri rolled her head to the side and curled the corners of her mouth up towards her cheekbones. "Anyway, I'm sure you've heard plenty about me. I can tell you don't trust me, but if you just give me a chance."

"No. You're not going to control me." Bianca turned around and leaned over the stone wall, hunching her shoulders forward and peering down. "I've been controlled by enough people. Marcus and Amelia, the Carta, Lantos…I'm my own person, I'm stronger and there's nothing that's going to stop me from having a normal life."

"That's great honey. You should go and live a decent life…" She heard a scraping noise and raised her head slowly. Her eyes slid towards Davri and widened when she saw her mother raising the axe from the ground. Davri sneered and her eyebrows closed together. "Without your father in it."

Before she could react, Davri swung the blade, striking her in the side of the head with the flat end of the axe. The initial pain could hardly be felt as she crashed into the ground. She cried out as a paralyzing numbness swept across her.

Her mother's shadow fell over her and she raised her eyes up in time to see the woman move swiftly to draw her bow and arrows. The guards at the gate were struck down almost in an instant with arrows to their throat.

"No!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to scream above the rasp in her throat.

"When you want something done right…" When Davri turned, she let out a gasp, and the last thing she saw was her mother swinging the blunt face of the axe upon her. "Do it yourself."

* * *

As per the title of the questline involved here "Well...shit". So, what are your thoughts right now? What do you think is going to happen from this point? Bianca Sr. couldn't trick Bianca with sweetness I suppose, but now it seems she was able to knock her out. I will say this much, I've always hated the Hissing Wastes, and like the Fallow Mire I thought about leaving it out...but nope, we're going to see that place very soon. Also, going to see Lantos again.


	26. Thrown Away Like Waste

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Because I want you to speculate, and I want to remember this, here is a future quote from Cole: "Two flames burn hot in a heart hung by guilt. One he has snuffed and one that has opened his eyes. He is not worthy to hold either, and he knows it."

* * *

Chapter 26 (Thrown Away Like Waste)

The ground shook beneath her like that of a violent earthquake, and a distant roar beckoned her to wake. Every bone in her body ached and every muscle on her body felt like it was on fire.

Bianca's eyelids rolled apart and she stared up at a dark sky and purple clouds while groaning. "Where am I?" She moved her fingers first and hummed as warm sand squished between her fingers and fell along her hands. She rolled onto her side and blinked several times, splashing the moisture in her eyes out onto the ground.

She tried to listen to her surroundings, but all she could hear was the wind whistling in her ear. When she tried to breathe, she got a mouthful of hot sand that swept across her dry tongue and down her throat. She reeled back, coughing violently and wiping her mouth with her arms.

"God." Her eyes adjusted and she looked down her body, seeing nothing but the garments she typically wore beneath her armor. Her axe was also nowhere to be found. "What…"

The image of her mother grabbing the axe flashed before her mind, and with it came a throbbing sensation in the side of her head. "No." She rubbed her eyes, cringing as sand glued itself to her tear stained cheeks. "Where the hell am I?"

She pushed herself onto her hands and knees, groaning as another jolt of searing pain shot through her body. "H-Help." She wanted to call out, but her throat felt so constricted that she was certain she wouldn't be able to shout.

As she raised her head up, all she could see was dark sand that stretched out as far as the hills could see. "Am I in a desert? She abandoned me in a desert?" Bianca forced herself to stand, nearly falling over in the process. She raised her hand over her eyes and looked out. "Is anyone out there? Anybody?"

She held her arms over her stomach, breathing heavily as she took a shaky step forward. "Alone. I'm alone in the middle of nowhere." She continued to move forward and tried to fight back the tears forming from the pain still in her body; it was the worst pain she'd felt since the last attack she suffered from the Carta.

She must have woken at some point of time after Davri took her from Skyhold, but whatever happened between then and wherever she was now, she couldn't remember.

There was a shrill hiss behind her, followed by what looked like green vomit flying past her. She turned to look and saw a long and pale reptilian creature with a wide face and pointed tail staring her down.

"Shit." Fear gripped her and a rush of adrenaline burst through her body as the creature charged for her. "Stay back!" She surged forward, running as fast as she could. There wasn't any chance she could fight the creature bare handed and survive, but when she glanced back, the creature was fast on her heels. "No, no, no."

The creature reared its head back and jerked it forward, spitting another burst of green slime at her. Bianca shrieked and rolled to the right to dodge it. She landed on her back and looked up to see the creature upon her.

Her left hand surged, generating what felt like a spike through her hand. Remembering the anchor, she raised her hand and created a small rift that sucked the creature away within seconds.

She started panting heavily, staring at where the creature was with wide eyes. Her clothing was drenched in drool and it smelled of old flesh. "There's no way in hell I'm getting out of this desert." She heard a voice nearby and jumped up excitedly.

To her surprise a random Chantry sister was walking by, uttering the chant. "Hey!" She waved her hand in the air, but the sister didn't respond. Bianca called out again, but the woman disappeared over a hill. "Oh come on." She ran up the hill, practically climbing with her hands to reach the top. "I know you can hea…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the view below.

Once again there was nothing but rolling hills of sand and rocks that went farther than she was expecting. The Chantry sister was gone like a whisper in the wind. "Please." She let out a whimper and shivered as a rush of wind blew past her." She looked to the sky and screamed out in anger. "You could have given me a fighting chance, Mother! Leave me with a sword, a knife, _anything_."

Another roar echoed from the distance, sending a shiver down her spine. She hugged herself and limped forward. "Alone. Always alone. No one can hear me scream out here." She raised her head and took a deep breath. "Dad'll come looking. Dad and Cassandra, Solas too. They'll come looking."

She was tempted to sit, but terrified that if she sat down she'd die in the sand. "No." She narrowed her eyes and scanned the horizon and the field of sand below. "I have to keep moving. I have to find my way somewhere."

That's when she saw it. In the middle of the ocean of sand was a pointed rock formation that appeared to be flickering with yellow light. "Fire?" Her eyebrows rose and her mouth opened wide. "A campfire? Campfire means people. People means I can get out of this place!"

She bolted as fast as she could down the hill, nearly falling over and rolling in the process. When she reached the rock, her excitement vanished away and her heart dropped to her stomach.

It was just a lantern near an empty tent and empty bench. Making matters worse, there was a dead and decaying body positioned directly before the tent. "Oh god. I'm going to die out here." She sat on the bench and buried her head into her hands.

Her eyes were too dry for tears, so rather than waste time trying to cry, she forced herself to stand and look around. "I can't give up. I have to look for something. Anything." She walked around the rock formation and spotted a strange sloped rock jutting out from the ground and pointing horizontally at the structure. "Maybe I can get a clearer view from here."

She climbed to the tip and started to look around. In the distance were two tall rock formations that towered over the horizon. The tops resembled clouds frozen in time. Figuring she came from that direction, she opted to go another route.

Making her way to the top of another hill for yet another large landscape, she was able to see another rock structure in the distance with a firelight. "May as well." She hurried to the rock, disappointed but not surprised to find another empty space. "There aren't even any weapons here. What the hell."

Bianca continued to run, no longer feeling any pain in her limbs due to the fear that overpowered it. Eventually she came across a Dwarven statue that caught her attention, but with it were a group of Venatori that were inspecting it.

She yelped in surprise when she came to a stop, then threw her hands over her mouth. It was a group of three Venatori, one wielding a staff and a book while the other two wielded swords. She looked for a hiding place to throw herself into, but there wasn't any.

"Traveler." The mage spoke with an aggressive voice, hiding a growl beneath it. "Do you know who you interrupt?" She held her breath and shook her head, praying they wouldn't attack her while she was unarmed. "Identify yourself."

"Just a lost soul." The mage chuckled as the two warriors started to approach her. "Venatori, can you see the glow on her hand?" Her blood ran cold and a paralyzing fear shot through her body. "She bears the anchor. Venatori, it is the Inquisitor. Defenseless! Corypheus wishes her head. Destroy her."

She studied the greatsword in the hand of the Venatori without the shield and was struck with an idea to retrieve the blade. She had to get it somehow, to defend herself.

"You won't touch me." She lunged for the Venatori, reaching out and grabbing for the Warrior's wrist. The mage shouted a chant and her body froze on the spot. She ground her teeth and grunted as she tried in vain to move. The warrior backed away from her and the mage glared with wild eyes.

"So long we've been in this desert." The mage approached her, encircling her and scanning her with his revolting gaze. "How long has it been since we've seen a woman without armor? And the gods would send us Andraste's Herald?" Her eyes grew and once more she tried in vain to move her paralyzed arms.

The mage reached for her face, caressing her chin as a sickening smirk formed at his lips. She tried to pull her head away. "Before we kill her, Venatori, what do you saw we treat ourselves-" A loud swishing noise interrupted him and a pained grunt followed. The mage turned his head and Bianca saw the two handed warrior drop.

A dagger was embedded deep into the back of his skull. The second warrior that held a shield covered his front and began looking around when a figure appeared behind him.

The figure cut low with his dagger, slashing the Venatori in the lower right leg. The shield holder screamed out in pain and dropped towards the ground. The mage scowled and broke his hold on Bianca, allowing her to sweep the broadsword off the ground and point it to the enemy.

"Stay the hell away from me." The mage raised his hand and with a mighty shout, he summoned a ring of fire beneath her. Realizing she was still without decent armor, she jumped out of the way before it exploded.

"Sorry." The mage lurched forward as the tip of a dagger exploded from his chest. "I don't think my girlfriend would be happy if I let you kill the Inquisitor." Bianca squinted while trying to contemplate the familiar voice. When she looked for the person behind the mage, she saw a dwarf. As his deep and aggressive tone processed in her mind, her heart began to fill with horror.

"No." Her hands began to shake and she stepped back, muttering under her breath. "It can't be. No. Not you." The mage fell dead on the floor and Lantos sheathed his two daggers. Bianca's throat was too raw to scream and she was still too exhausted to run any further. "Stay back, Lantos!"

"Come with me."

"Go to hell." She would rather die out in the desert than go anywhere with him. Lantos narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I am the one chance you have at making it out of this desert alive." She glanced to the side and Lantos smirked. "You could take your chance against the elements, the red Templars wandering about, the Venatori, and every vicious creature here…"

The distant roar caused her to gasp and throw her head in the general direction. "Which includes that." Lantos shook his head and muttered at the noise. "I'm pretty sure it's a dragon. We may have woken it up…"

* * *

It's a bit short yes, that's because I separated this into two parts. Now because I double posted for you yesterday, I'm only able to give you this one. What are your thoughts? Do you trust Lantos? Does Bianca really have a choice right now? Also, who is the 'we' that he speaks of in the end, because it certainly can't be Bianca.


	27. Escaping the Wastes

The Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 27 (Escaping the Wastes)

Bianca looked back at Lantos with a vicious sneer, growling while sidestepping to the right. "What do you want?" She held the shoddy Venatori sword with its tip still pointed at the man. "What are you doing here? How did you find me, _why_ did you find me?" Lantos rolled his eyes and flicked his fingers out one at a time until he reached four.

"Let's see…" She held her breath as his eyes sharpened like that of a dragon. Though she didn't trust him, she couldn't detect the usual look of violence his eyes harbored moments before he would attack. "I would like to get you out of this damned place." He rolled his head to the right and brought down his forefinger. "I'm trying to help you. I followed that your cracked out mother, and finally to get you out of this desert."

She pushed the blade forward. "I don't believe you." Right now all she could think about was each time she let this man abuse her, and how dangerous he could be. Lantos shrugged and looked into the distance. "When I started dating you, I might have believed you then. I was naïve, I was younger and weaker. So forgive me if I don't believe you _now_."

"Of course you don't." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as the dragon's roar echoed once more in the air. Lantos breathed out slowly and raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't matter. You want to live, to see your old man again for whatever reason, and you have no armor." She looked down at her clothes with a soft groan and took a step back.

Lantos opened his eyes he pointed to the sword in her hand. "That shitty sword you lifted off the Venatori is only going to get you so far. Not to mention, you saw how out of his mind that mage was…and you thought the _Carta_ clan was bad?" Bitterness stung her chest and she visibly cringed. "Sorry."

She looked at the mage and her body's shivering increased. "You want me dead," she whispered. Her eyes flew up to Lantos and he dusted off his armor with an expression of nonchalance. "Or you want me to yourself?" Lantos raised his head and stared off at the sky with a heavy sigh. "What do you expect to gain by getting me out of this place?"

"Well let's see. You're the one shot Thedas has at not sinking into the ocean as far as I know." The man shrugged again and huffed. "An army of demons puts a serious damper on some of my life goals."

"I don't believe you." Lantos's right eyebrow rose and he cast a skeptical eye upon her. She thought for a moment and listened to the wind hissing in her ears. "Okay, so maybe dying would cancel your plans, but why should I care what _you_ have planned? You were going to kill Dasher!"

"Was." Lantos raised his shoulders and dropped his arms. "I'm not _asking_ you to believe me." He took a step forward and his sharp eyes burned into her retinas. She flinched and pushed the blade forward once more. "I'm telling you that if you want to live, you'd better follow me." Lantos placed his right index finger on the tip of the sword and gently pushed it down. "Now what's it going to be? I'm fairly certain you were never stupid…"

"Go to hell."

"Bianca."

Her voice rose with anger. "You've done so much to hurt me in the past, why should I ever believe you're not going to do the same to me right now?" She could feel the lightness of the sword, so Lantos was right in that it was a shitty blade. "I have a crappy blade, I have no armor, how am I to believe you wouldn't take advantage?"

"No you're right." He turned his back to her and walked forward, waving his hand in the air. "You have absolutely no reason to believe I wouldn't try to hurt you right now." She started to lower the sword, tensing when Lantos peered with a sideways glance over his shoulder. "I do not care about you and want little else to do with you."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. His words didn't hurt her as much as they may have before, which was a surprise. She did detect sarcasm in his voice, so that was more startling than anything else. "You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself, Lantos."

"Well, I am saying what you want to hear from me, correct?" Lantos turned and brought his hands to his chest. "I saw your mother attack you, she came in the direction of the Hissing Wastes, so I came looking." Her blood ran cold and she glanced suddenly over her shoulder.

"The Hissing Wastes?" Lantos nodded. She'd heard fleeting mentions of the location, and she despised it with every fiber of her being. That her mother would abandon her here spoke volumes of just how much Davri hated her. "Okay…" Her heartbeat steadied itself and she lowered her voice back to a whisper. "This is the Hissing Wastes?"

Lantos paced to the right, his narrow eyes searched the sea of sand and his mouth slid into a thin line. "It's a dark and deadly place. You can try to make it out alive in your current state, but I can almost guarantee you, you won't survive."

He raised an eyebrow and started walking off. "Really believe me or not, it's up to you. You can follow one guy you really don't like or be used and killed by the Venatori, Red Templars, and whatever else is in this hellhole. Up to you."

She lowered the blade further and ground her teeth together. "You're an asshole, Lantos." Lantos raised his right hand and curled all fingers but his index.

"I may be an asshole, Bianca, but I'm a _right_ asshole." He looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "And you know it. I'm the only chance of you getting out of this desert alive." She truly had no choice, and as much as she was disgusted by his mere presence, she had to follow him.

Bianca grunted her displeasure and followed after him. At least she could go until she was able to obtain some decent weaponry or even armor that would fit her. Despite the fact that the Venatori didn't appear to have any dwarves with them. "Just stay at least five feet away from me at all times." He laughed and shook his head.

"Even from six feet, I could still reach you if I really wanted to." A shiver ran down her spine and she tightened her grip on the sword's hilt.

"I'm serious, Lantos!"

The man replied with a grunt and his eyelids fell halfway. "I know you are." She ran her hand through her hair, sweeping it behind her left shoulder with a confident huff.

Suddenly Lantos leapt behind a rock and motioned at her, catching her off guard. "Get down!" He hissed and motioned again. Bianca glanced in front of them and saw a mass of Venatori studying what appeared to be an old Dwarven ruin. Her eyes shot open and she jumped behind a rock next to Lantos.

"What are they doing out here?" She whispered. Lantos raised his head above the rock and furrowed his brow.

"What? The Venatori or the ruins?" She didn't care about the ruins, although it was a curious sight to see them above ground. At the same time, considering Solas's tale about the two factions of ancient humans that split up, it was possible the short humans also known as ancient dwarves were responsible for these.

"The Venatori, damn it."

Lantos hummed thoughtfully and slid his hand down his beard. "Looks like they're investigating the ruins. There's too many of them. We'll want to avoid a fight." Bianca agreed to his terms, not wanting to fight any further enemies. "By the way, no one knows where your mother took off to."

"What do I care?" She felt alone enough, and now didn't seem the right time to discuss the fact that nobody knew where she was except Lantos. "We're in the middle of a Venatori camp in the middle of nowhere, and I'm forced to follow you out of here. The last thing I want to hear is how nobody knows where I am."

"Thought you'd be interested." He sat with his back against the wall and crossed his arms. "And you don't _have_ to follow me."

"We've been through this already…"

He shrugged and turned his head, glancing sideways at the Venatori campground. "Your father's out looking everywhere, and teams have been dispatched to almost every place you've visited."

Nausea swirled about violently in her stomach and she began to seethe while turning her glare upon him. "I wish you wouldn't spy on us. Is that too much to ask?" Sure it was too much to ask of him, but while they were here, he needed to know how much it annoyed her that he continued to spy on everyone.

Lantos snickered and shut his eyes. "Honestly? You're asking _me_? Don't flatter yourself Bianca, I've given up that pursuit if I'm honest." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. She was skeptical and unsure of what he meant, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to press for more information. "I don't spy on you." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Not half as much as that deranged mother of yours.

There was venom when he spoke of Davri. Bianca leaned towards him and her forehead tensed as a great deal of suspicion arose in her. Though, she was more concerned with why he knew so much about what was going on in Skyhold and less with why he sounded like he disliked her mother. "Then what are you doing? How are you getting in and how do you know what's going on?"

Lantos paused and slowly rubbed his neck. He peered to the south and pulled his hand away while heaving forth a heavy sigh. "Because I date one of your scouts." She hesitated briefly, but when he mentioned Scout Harding, she had to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs.

"What?" She clenched her fists and her glare grew colder as she contemplated gutting Lantos on the spot. "What do you mean you're with Scout Harding? You'd better not hurt her." Lantos waved his hand in the air.

"I wouldn't. She wouldn't let me anyway if I tried, she's tough." She did have questions about this, but now wasn't the appropriate time to ask. "I care about her. I'll tell you that much." He had to know she wouldn't believe those words, not now.

It was beginning to make sense, however. The way Harding was acting whenever they talked about the guys they were interested in, and the letter from Lantos that mentioned his dating someone, and now all of a sudden there was today. "When you told that mage back there that your girlfriend wouldn't be happy if you let me die…" Lantos nodded slowly and Bianca visibly cringed. _"How could I miss that?"_

"I was talking about Harding."

Her chest tightened and bile stung her stomach and throat. "Goddamn it." She wasn't sure how to respond to the news. Part of her was angry at Harding for not telling her, part of her wanted to demand that Lantos stay as far away from Harding as possible, while another part of her wanted to believe that Lantos could ever possibly change.

Lantos leaned around the rock and extended his arm, pointing to the south. "Let's keep moving while they're distracted. I told Harding where I was, so she should actually be setting up camp." He leaned back against the rock and shut his eyes. "We came together initially but someone else saw us chasing after your mother and he came running too. She stayed behind to help him make some quick weapons in case they were needed."

"Who?"

"This really annoying as hell guy that Harding says you've been talking to quite a bit." Bianca leaned her head back slowly, trying to think of who it could be. When she thought about Sandal, her eyes lit up with delight.

"Sandal? Is Sandal with you guys?"

Lantos rolled his eyes and started to stand. "Yeah. That guy." Lantos huffed and started off. Bianca followed in quick pursuit. "I don't know what you see in him. He's no fighter, that's for sure, he's just a damned shoe merchant."

"Well maybe I don't need a fighter to meet my needs." She paused for a second to contemplate what 'needs' she was referring to. "I um, I mean to say we're not together or anything…"

Lantos rolled his eyes and responded with an annoyed grunt. "Let's just keep moving." He bolted forward and Bianca followed after until they reached a shadowy area to hide in.

"What's your problem with Sandal now?"

"Other than he's a shoe merchant with a name that is suggestive of footwear? Maybe the fact that he thinks he's 'enchanting'." Lantos narrowed his eyes and huffed. "Or perhaps the fact that he doesn't fight, but can kill things with puny, pathetic rocks."

Bianca smirked and her eyelids fell halfway. "He's a good man. Jealous?" Lantos raised his eyebrows and threw his head back with a laugh.

"Of what? Him? Please." He leaned against a tree and looked past it, narrowing his eyes at the Venatori soldier taking a leak in the sand. "At least I don't need to flirt constantly."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you entirely oblivious to the fact that the shoe merchant is flirting with you every time you two talk? I can't hear enough about it from Harding." Bianca narrowed her eyes and the corner of her mouth slid back into her cheek as she watched Lantos leave the hiding spot.

He approached the Venatori soldier stealthfully and Bianca listened as the only sound in the air was the soldier whistling while taking a leak. "Sorry to disturb you," she heard Lantos say. Her eyes widened as the man started to turn his head, then jerked as Lantos shoved a dagger into the back of his neck.

When Lantos returned, he looked her in the eyes and hesitated when she squinted. "What's the problem now?"

"The guy wasn't doing anything, we could have just gone past him."

"And risk getting caught? I don't think so." She started to protest, but he spoke above her, causing her to keep quiet. "Listen. If we're spotted by a soldier and we let them pass, they can go back to camp and have every damn Venatori in this desert looking for us. It's a chance we can't take."

"He might not have even spotted us!"

"You don't know that."

"Yeah well you don't know if he would have seen us."

"Hey." Lantos raised his hand, holding his dagger horizontally in the air. "Which of us has the weapon and armor right now? Huh? If you want to fight a bunch of Venatori soldiers in your current state, be my guest, but I think you should be more concerned about surviving this desert."

She clenched her teeth and sucked in the heated air through the slits between them. "Lead on then, oh fearless leader." Lantos huffed and started walking, muttering something under his breath.

It was unlike him not to fight if she did respond with a snide remark, but as surprised as she was, she still wasn't letting her guard down around him.

He rounded the corner of a large wall and she started to follow, stopping when she heard him shout. The panic in his voice paralyzed her, and she watched as he came flying back into view. "Lantos!" He put his right hand on his left side and sucked in deep as she ran up to him.

"Careful." She looked over and saw a rift with a giant Pride demon staring them down. Her blood ran cold and her eyes darted to the flimsy broadsword in her hand. "Bianca. Just so you know, Scout Harding _will _kill me if you die."

"Yeah?" The ground shook as the demon took a step towards her. She could feel her pulse vibrating through her body and terror constricted her throat, keeping her breathing shallow and nervous. "I think she's the last thing you'll have to worry about if this thing kills us. Are you hurt?"

"A bit, but I'll be fine." Lantos stood and grunted as he stumbled to the side. When she looked, she saw a single slice in his armor. There was some blood present, but not enough to gauge damage. "Shit." His face tensed with pain and he placed his hand firmly against the wound. "You're probably enjoying this right now…"

"If I were in a good state, I'd care less, but…" The demon took another step and raised its hands. Energy pulsed between its claws, and the creature's roar echoed in the air. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you being alive is probably a benefit to us both."

She raised her blade and watched as two more demons came from the rift. One was a Shade while another was a large Terror demon. "Oh shit." The terror demon rushed her and raised its thin, slimy arm into the air. Thinking fast she grabbed the hilt of her blade and raised the sword diagonally in front of her, blocking the creature's downward slash.

Bianca countered with a shout and slashed the creature with the blade, watching as it dug deep into the demon's side. "It's not a good sword, but it's still of use."

Lantos staggered towards the demon and reached for his dagger. "Just don't get hit," he stated, "You have no armor. Those claws can tear you apart in one swipe."

"You think I don't know that?"

"When did you get confident enough to talk back?"

"Considering you haven't attacked me yet…" She thrust the sword into the demon's chest and groaned at the squishing noise of whatever organ she sliced through.

Lantos drew his daggers and jumped behind the Shade demon and stabbed into the creature's back. Both demons collapsed to the ground and the Pride demon roared out in anger.

Bianca slashed at the creature, but the sword barely scratched the demon's thick, scaly leg. Her body paled and she looked up just as the demon braced for a swing. "No." She dropped her sword and pulled her hands in front of her face, preparing for the impact.

A familiar twanging noise buzzed in her ear and she raised her head in time to see an arrow on fire pierce into the demon's right eye. "Wha-" She lowered her arms as the creature reared its head back and let out a violent cry.

"Freeze it," someone muttered. Her heart skipped and her mouth opened in a gasp as she watched an icy blue rock fly into the demon and freeze its body on impact. When she turned, she saw Sandal and Harding nearby.

Sandal grinned and Harding lowered her bow. "Thought you could use some help," Harding said with a smirk. Her eyes darted to Lantos and her smirk faded. "Oh god, you're injured!" She ran over to him while Bianca continued to focus on Sandal.

She threw her arms around his neck, laughing jovially. "I can't believe you're here." Sandal hugged her waist and she buried her head into his chest. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears, though not of sorrow but joy. "How are you even here? Lantos said you followed him and Scout Harding, is that true?"

"Yeah." She raised her head and he brushed away a tear on her cheek with his thumb. The caress drew warm blood to her cheek and she closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. "All three of us saw that woman take you. I grabbed your weapon and armor and followed when I saw Harding and that guy follow that woman."

"That guy?" Lantos grunted. Bianca turned her head and saw Lantos approach with his arm around Harding's shoulders. She had an arm around his waist, holding him stable. "I do have name, you know."

"Oh I'm sorry." Sandal pulled back and turned to Lantos, narrowing his eyes. "I wasn't sure if you worked with names, or maybe 'that shoe merchant' is as much of a name as you're willing to give out." Lantos pulled his arm away from Harding and started to growl.

"I am in no mood for your sass, you glorified excuse for a salesman."

Sandal raised an ember colored rock and closed his eyebrows together. "Just because I don't fight with swords or arrows doesn't mean I can't take you down." Lantos reached back for his daggers, growling again.

"I'd like to see you try. _Salesman_."

Bianca's heart sank and Harding rushed between the two men, extending her hands outward. "Enough! We didn't come all this way to bicker." Lantos grunted and lowered his hands. Bianca's eyebrows shot up and she folded her arms across her abdomen.

"I'm impressed, Harding. He actually _listens_ to you." Harding flashed a nervous smile and Bianca narrowed her eyes. "We will talk about this later." She moved her gaze towards Sandal and grinned when she saw her armor and axe behind him. "My armor. I could just kiss you." She ran past him and grabbed her weapon.

Once she put her armor on, she approached the frozen Pride demon, and with a mighty swing she shattered the demon with her axe. "That's better." She glanced at the rift and extended her hand, tensing and sneering at it as energy pulsed from the anchor and sealed the rift.

She attached the axe to the holder on the back of her armor and turned to the others, grateful for their presence. "Because I have absolutely no idea where in this desert we are…" She extended her hand and smiled at them. "Lead the way. I'm ready to go home."

"Your Dad's ready for you to be back," Harding replied. "I think he'll be thrilled you're safe."

Sandal smiled with compassion and his eyelids fell halfway. "We're all happy you're safe."

Lantos rolled his eyes and walked past the group, holding his hand to his wound and gazing at the desert in front of them. "She's not safe until we're out of this goddamn place." She nodded in agreeance.

"I'll be glad never to come back here again." She glanced at Lantos and pointed to his wound. "Sandal, Harding, is there any way to heal that wound?"

"I brought some bandages with us," Harding answered, "Give me a moment." The woman was clearly concerned for him, and she worked swiftly to pull the bandages from the packs they had with them.

She and Sandal took their seat on a rock and watched as the Scout doctored up Lantos's wound with medicine, chuckling when he not only complained about the pain of the medication but when Harding told him to shut up and deal with it.

Harding was so focused on him, and Lantos had a strange expression on his face that made Bianca a bit jealous. "She really cares about him?" Bianca tilted her head and crossed her arms. "And he looks like he cares for her. How? I mean, why is he changing all of a sudden?"

"I doubt it's sudden," Sandal answered, "I guess he just met someone worth changing for."

"And I wasn't worth it?"

"I didn't mean it like that." She bowed her head and closed her eyes as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You weren't right for each other."

"I know all that. I guess I'm just surprised…I'm still keeping an eye on them, but for right now, I just want to get out of this place."

* * *

What did you think of that chapter? There's a bit of party banter as you can see that I hope you enjoyed. Well, Harding and Sandal got there with her armor and weapon, so she's got a fighting chance now. Close call there. It's not over yet, one more hiccup coming up, but at this point, what do you think could possibly go wrong?


	28. Last Stop Before Home

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: By now you realize it's an arc that was set off by Bianca's mother. Yeah, next chapter involves just how Harding and Lantos came together.

* * *

Chapter 28 (Last Stop Before Home)

Bianca stood behind Scout Harding, watching as the woman studied a map scroll. "We've got a little further to go." They group was exhausted from the travel, but thrilled at least to be out of the deserts. Including the Hissing Wastes, they'd been through two others; the Western Approach and a place that some referred to an 'Oasis'.

"Good thing we're not dealing with those deserts anymore." Lantos leaned against a tree overlooking a large snowy cliff. "That 'oasis' is not much of an oasis." Bianca raised her eyebrows and peered down at her hand.

"Chalk that up to another place I don't want to go to again." They tore through a number of rifts in the process of their journeying. They made camp at a few locations, though it was different not seeing the Requisition Officers or anyone else around. "The Emerald Graves are more of an oasis." She walked backwards, digging her heels into the snow. "I'd like to visit that place with my father."

"You should." Lantos crossed his arms and turned his head to the right. "I'm sure he'd take you." The man pushed himself from the tree and gestured at Sandal. "Meanwhile, the merchant has yet to run out of stones. I'm not sure how or why that is even possible." Bianca rolled her eyes and Harding shook her head.

Sandal made his approach and spread his arms outwards. "There are rocks all around us, and material needed to create a simple enchanted rune. It's really not difficult to make one out in the wild if you know how to do it."

Harding raised her head from the map and her shoulders sloped downward. "Lantos, you've been giving him a hard time this entire time, could you please cut it out?" Lantos let out a grunt and Sandal taunted him with a laugh, earning a growl in response.

Bianca's head was throbbing and she was exhausted enough as it was. "You're not helping, Sandal." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the man. "I swear the two of you have been fighting over whose nuts are the biggest, but if you keep it up, you're not going to have any left."

Harding rolled up the map and took a step forward. "We're somewhere in the Emprise, which is good. Skyhold isn't far, just northeast a few miles." The woman turned and shrugged. "We're near the tower of bone, so we can make camp for a bit before moving on."

"Right, I've camped here when we came through before. It's a nice spot." This wasn't her favorite place to be of course, and it was cold as hell, but it was better than nothing. "I'm surprised we haven't run into any Inquisition agents yet."

"There's been signs of them." Lantos walked over and looked up at the strange tower while dusting off his waist. "We've passed over recent campsites. The only issue is we were in such a rush to find you that we didn't think of grabbing any of your Spymaster's messenger birds."

"I see. No way to contact the Inquisition and let them know I'm even alive." The Inquisition must be lost looking for her then, and she hoped her father missed her as much as she missed him.

They took some time to create a campfire, and since they didn't plan on staying too long there was no reason to use the tent materials in the pack that Harding and Sandal brought along.

Bianca sat at the campfire while Lantos remained standing on the other side of it. His arms were crossed and his shoulders were broadly spaced. Looking up at him she could see his narrow stare focusing on the fire as if he expected it to speak.

Harding scouted the location for any raw materials and Sandal remained close by, scraping rocks and collecting as many minerals as he could find. "Lantos." The man's gaze didn't falter from the fire and his only respond was a quiet grunt. "How's Dasher and the clan?"

"Wouldn't know." She jerked her head back and watched his eyes slide towards her. "I haven't been back since I alerted you to Varla's plans in Orzammar."

"Oh." She knew he was talking about the actual ambush planned on the ambassador. Dasher always liked to get his hands dirty if he could, but the ambassador was too important to the Inquisition to risk. "So…" She bowed her head and clasped her hands between her knees. "What happened?"

"You had your commander send troops. A fight broke out…" His voice trailed off and his eyes squinted. He wasn't saying everything, but she was scared to let him continue. "You should know that when I met Harding, I no longer had a desire to take out Dasher."

Her heart wrenched with fear and a tightness spread across her chest. "Lantos, Dasher isn't-" His eyes moved back to the fire and the skin around them started to crease.

Lantos pulled his leather armor down a bit to reveal a scar on his upper right chest just beneath the collar bone. It hadn't been there before. "I'm sorry Bianca. I got between him and one of your solder's blades, he was cut down after I was…" She let out a gasp and her eyes welled up with tears.

"No. I don't believe you." Her voice rose enough for both Sandal and Harding to look. "Dasher can't be dead. I refuse to believe that!" She stood up and pointed an accusing finger towards him. "If he is, you're probably the reason he's dead." Lantos uncrossed his arms and started to chuckle.

"Yeah. Yeah I am, you know why?" He walked around the fire, glaring back with equal rage. "Because I'm the one that contacted _you_. I'm the one that told _you_ about Dasher's plan." Lantos's voice rose and a wrinkle pushed up between his dipping eyebrows. "You could have had your Spymaster go in and get them out without any incident, but you decided to send soldiers to guard the Ambassador instead."

"It's not my fault what happened to Dasher." Her tears overflowed and her teeth ground tight. "How was I supposed to know? Cullen was angry that you were still sending letters, he demanded to send soldiers. I only went his way to calm down my friend. If I had known it would get Dasher killed…"

"I'm not placing blame, Bianca, I'm only telling you what happened." Lantos turned his back to her and shrugged. "The clan thinks I'm becoming soft, they've lost all respect for me."

"Good." She sneered at him. Her hands shook violently and her heart was screaming out its painful burst. Lantos scoffed at her and turned partially. His right hand was clenched and shaking at his side, and his dragon-like eyes peered out as though to stab her.

"It's not _good_. They've thought we were in cahoots ever since the Conclave. They've been trying to find you themselves. I'm the only one that was keeping them from doing exactly that, but when I left, I pissed them off. No one leads Dasher's clan, Bianca. I'm only telling you what happened."

Sandal approached from behind and Harding started towards them from the opposite side. "Can we not fight?" Sandal asked above them. "Please. Let's try to calm down." Lantos raised his voice and unclenched his fist, throwing his finger towards the man.

"No one asked you, Salesman. This is between Bianca and myself."

Harding walked alongside Lantos and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lantos, he's right, you both need to stop." He closed his eyes and lowered his hand with a sigh. "We're being followed, or we have been two or three stops ago." Bianca felt her heart stop and she glanced at Harding with wide eyes.

"What? Why haven't you said anything!"

"I didn't want to alarm you. I don't know who, but I keep hearing people all around us." Harding slid her hand down from Lantos's arm and looked with concern at Bianca. "I've taken us the long way around purposely, we lost our tail at the last stop, but if you continue to shout, you're going to draw attention to us."

Bianca looked over her shoulder and took a deep breath. "Okay fine." She looked back at Lantos, still seething with anger. He was frowning at her and his forehead had two creases stretching across. Lantos's shoulders were sloped down and his hands were closed tight.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said. "I know Dasher was important to you. You don't deserve to find out this way, but you needed to."

"Just stop talking." She wiped her face with the back of her hand and walked a few paces away. Every memory she had of the Dasher played through her mind, part of her wanted to believe Lantos was lying to her, but the truth was in his eyes and the tone of his voice. Her heart was breaking, and after a few moments of silence, a sob shook through her body and broke from her lips.

She felt an arm around her shoulders and glanced to see Sandal beside her. "Hey." He walked her a few feet from the campsite and stopped beneath the shade of a tree with her. Bianca sniffed as he took her hands and looked her in the eyes with a warm smile. "I know it hurts. Dasher was important to you."

"He saved my life." She looked back at the campsite. Lantos was watching them with a blank expression. His eyes were oddly misted and his lips stretched into a thin, flat line. "Lantos…abused me, but only with his hands and his words. The Carta? My clan…" She hit the tree with her back and sank down, pushing her hands into her hair and clenching tufts of it in her hands.

Sandal lowered his voice and knelt in front of her. "Bianca." She didn't want to talk about her clan, it was difficult enough just to think about them.

"They think women exist for one thing. The reason Lantos and I ever got together in the first place was because he and Dasher stopped them…protected me from them." Her lungs began to burn and her throat tightened as she remembered her clan's brutality. She clenched her eyes and started to shake.

"I thought I could trust him, but then he became angry, aggressive. He never once went as far as the clan had, he wasn't that kind of person…" She dropped her hands and gasped loudly. "Oh god why am I telling you this?"

"You don't have to." Sandal took her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "I'm here for you, and right now? So is Lantos, evidently." She chuckled through the tears and wiped her cheeks once more. "So is Scout Harding. Does it bother you that they're together?"

"A bit, but only because I'm scared for Harding." Bianca looked at the couple. Lantos was still watching them closely and Harding was at his side, holding his hand and resting her head on his shoulder. "But apparently she's calmed him down. I don't know why I wasn't ever able to do that…"

"I have an idea, but you might not be happy with me if I say it."

"You may as well."

Sandal squeezed her hand and drew her eyes into his. "You're stronger now. There's a confidence that emerged in you since you and your father connected that wasn't there before." Bianca smiled back at him and sniffled as Varric entered her mind. "You don't need Dasher's protection anymore or Lantos, and I think you know that. Back then? You were hurting, you had wounds dug into you from just about everyone that you came across…you didn't stand up for yourself, probably because you were afraid to."

She frowned and dropped her gaze. "Yeah…" It wasn't like that anymore. She was much stronger now than she'd ever been. "I guess I wasn't tough enough to deal with Lantos's abuse."

"You should never have to deal with abuse. You left that relationship behind, and you were right to do so. I think even he sees that now."

"Yeah, evidently Scout Harding's gotten through that stupid arrogant head of his." She looked back to the couple and sniffled once more. "If he treats her right, fine. I don't care if they're together…"

Sandal stood, still holding her hand, and gave a slight tug. She was drawn to his warm smile like a moth to the fire, her frayed nerves were soothed by his sweet, compassionate eyes and she willed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Sandal, I…Thank you for listening." She leaned into him and slid her arms around his waist. Her chin came to rest on his right shoulder and her eyes closed. He hugged her waist and whispered to her that he was happy to do so. "I do care about you, I don't want you to get the wrong idea though."

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath and leaned her head back, gazing into his curious eyes. "I like you." Her heart skipped a note and a lump swelled in her throat. "I'm grateful you came to help, and I would like to get to know you, but I'm just conflicted…I want to give you a chance, but I don't know if I'm ready to start another relationship just yet but…"

This was just something she needed to get off her chest, something she'd been thinking about since they left the Hissing Wastes.

Sandal shook his head, still smiling at her. "I understand full well. I care for you as well, but I haven't said anything because I don't know if you're ready to have that talk." She chuckled once and her lips curved up. "But when you're ready, I'll be right here, and until then we're friends."

"Right. Friends."

In truth it felt safer for her this way. She was terrified still of being hurt again, and she also wanted to focus on spending time with her father. Her interests weren't fully geared towards romantic dalliances as many girls her age were so interested in.

There was a rustling nearby that caught her attention, and when she turned she could see a number of dwarves approaching them. They were being led by a warrior with blonde hair and a goatee that framed a familiar sadistic grin that made her blood turn cold.

"It's Aaron, of my clan!" She heard Lantos curse and quickly reached for her axe. Aaron's upper right lip rolled up to reveal a flash of white teeth.

"Bianca. Lantos." Aaron's pale green eyes fell into slants and he spread his arms out to the sides. "Fancy meeting you two here."

Lantos moved in front of Bianca, growling at Aaron and the rest of the dwarves present. "What was so important you had to bring the whole clan after us, Aaron?" The man looked to Lantos with a huff.

"We're here for Cadash, Lantos. We know you'd gone soft." Aaron raised his hand and sliced it through the air. "Step aside if you know what's good for you." Bianca took a small step back and her forehead tensed as she watched Lantos.

He was holding his ground and his fingers were curling slowly around the hilts of his daggers. "Aaron. I highly suggest taking the clan and leaving." He tilted his head. Sandal walked up beside him and stared down the Carta while clenching a rune in each hand. "Otherwise, my acquaintance here and I are going to eradicate the last of you."

"Figures." Aaron scowled and motioned past Lantos. "Dasher gets killed by that bitch's Inquisition soldier and you're still protecting her."

"I'm not protecting her, she's capable of dealing with you herself if she has to."

"Oh shut up." Aaron pulled his sword from the sheathe on his hip and removed the shield from his back. The rest of the clan drew their weapons as well. Bianca felt a layer of sweat breaking from her skin while the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "We're all here because we're not underestimating the two of you. We know what it's going to take to take you out."

Lantos leaned his head upright and glanced sideways at Sandal. "Do your enchanting shit, Sandal. Let's make it a fair fight, shall we?"

Sandal grinned and raised the ember colored stone in front of his lips. "It will be my pleasure." Aaron raised an eyebrow and when Sandal threw the stone, he jumped out of the way.

An explosion of flame burst from the stone and set many of the dwarves present aflame. Aaron was thrown to the side, but he caught himself and pushed up to his hands and knees. His teeth bared and he watched as five of the remaining dwarves managed to avoid the fire.

"One rune and half of you lot are gone," Lantos said with a confident smirk. "The Salesman here has one more rune in his hand, do you want to take a chance?" Aaron stood and positioned the shield in front of himself.

"Bastard. We'll kill you all." Aaron charged forward and Lantos leapt into the air, then forward over the man. Aaron twisted his body around, but before he could move his shield, Lantos slashed his right dagger across his back. He lurched forward with a pained grunt and spun on his heels. "Going to have to do better than that."

"I recommend not trying to challenge me. Go ahead though...I've wanted to do this for a very long time, Aaron."

Bianca wanted to join in the fight, but her legs were frozen in spot-paralyzed with fear as she watched Aaron closely. Every inch of her body was trembling as the remaining dwarves proceeded towards Lantos.

"I can't fight them," she whispered aloud. Harding stepped next to her, raising an eyebrow.

"What's going on? Why aren't you helping the guys?"

"I can't." She was close to vomiting, unable to stand the sight of these people. "It's not because they're my clan. Dasher's gone, he can't control them anymore." Harding put a hand on her shoulder and pointed at the cavern nearby.

"Then start heading towards Sahrnia." She shook her head and sputtered while watching as Sandal attacked another of the Carta with a powered rune. Harding removed her bow from her quiver and grabbed an arrow. "We'll handle these people."

She flinched as her the memories of her clan pounded in her head. "I don't want to leave you guys behind." Harding fired off an arrow and sighed.

"Well can you at least fight?"

Lantos did back-flip in the air and landed on one knee in front of them. He turned his head and looked up to Bianca. "Don't just stand there like a statue, get the hell out of here." She snapped back into reality. A lump formed in her throat, thickening to the point she couldn't speak.

Aaron's body shifted upwards as he breathed heavily. The man's green eyes mixed in with hers and his toothy smirk only grew as he started to chuckle. "Come on Cadash. Show me what you got." Lantos stood and pointed a dagger at him.

"Don't talk to her." He turned his head and placed a hand on Bianca's armored chest. She gasped out as he gave a subtle push, enough to cause her to stagger back a step and focus her attention onto him. "You won't be able to fight them off, and I'm not babysitting. Get moving."

Harding jumped between the two, looking at Bianca with a sigh. "Like I said, we'll meet you in Sahrnia. Wait for us."

Bianca swallowed the lump and turned to run, scolding herself for doing so. They were right, she was fighting off too many flashbacks and painful memories to concentrate on a fight. They didn't need her to be a liability, and that was exactly what she would be if she tried to fight Aaron and the clan.

All she could do was concentrate on running back to the town and to trust that the others could handle the fight.

By the time she'd reached the village, her body was burning with adrenaline that overpowered the searing pain in her muscles. She was drenched in sweat and holding her hand over her abdomen. "Is that the Inquisitor?" She heard someone say, but she ignored them. "She looks sick."

The color was all but gone from her face, her skin was clammy and pale, and she was fighting to stay upright despite the crippling nausea.

It didn't take long for her to fall to her knees, however. The townspeople helped her to stand and walked her into a home to let her lay down on a warm bed.

Eventually the mental struggle she faced was subsiding, but the wait for the others to return was excruciating. It felt like hours had passed by when she was back on her feet and moving, and even still there was nothing.

"I should go back." She paced on a bearskin rug, pounding her closed hand into her open palm. "They need me. I can do this. I won't forgive myself if something happens to them. If Aaron kills them…"

She looked out the doorway of the cabin and groaned. "No. I can't stay here any longer, I have to go back." They told her to wait, but being unable to do so any longer, Bianca grabbed her axe from the bed and rushed out the door.

Before she could leave the Sahrnia gates, she saw a group in the distance and her breath held fast in her lungs. She tightened her hold on the handle of her axe and her heart began to race.

As they grew nearer, a sense of relief flooded her. Leading the Sandal and Harding was Lantos. All three were covered with blood spatter, but they didn't look any worse for wear.

She moved forward and raised a trembling hand over her mouth. "You're okay." Her joy fell out with a gasp of surprise. "I was about to come looking for you."

"Well we're fine," Lantos replied. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Aaron is no longer an issue. Some of the clan managed to run off, so it wouldn't surprise me if they show up, but Aaron didn't make it." She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.

"I wish you three wouldn't have sent me off. I can't stand not helping."

"You were too affected to fight them." Lantos walked past her and she turned towards him, glaring with narrow eyes. He leaned against the wall of the cabin and hummed. "Are you doing better now?" She relaxed and looked in the direction they came from.

"I'm doing fine." She was still nervous, but she was better than she had been, and would be much better when they reached Skyhold. "Let's take a break here, and then we can continue on."

"Sounds good to me." He scratched his bearded chin and looked at the others. "Harding? Salesman? Are you two okay with staying here a while?"

"Anything for a breather," Harding replied.

Sandal glared at Lantos and crossed his arms. "The name's _Sandal_, and yes, this is just fine to rest up at."

* * *

What are your thoughts about this chapter? What are your observations? Is there anything worth noting or anything that caught your attention?


	29. Home Free

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 29 (Home Free)

The people at Sahrnia were able to find an agent that was watching over the town to send word to Skyhold that Bianca was safe and on her way. They spent the night resting and getting a full, warm meal before heading on their way the following morning.

The agent had offered to escort them back to Skyhold, but Bianca felt the rest of the route would be just fine for the four of them. On the route, Lantos walked in the front while Sandal and Harding were behind, glancing at nearly every space they passed by.

Bianca studied him from behind, trying to figure out what seemed so different about him. The longer she stared, the more she felt someone staring back at her. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as Harding walked up alongside her. "Everything okay, Bianca?" Bianca shrugged and squinted her eyes at Lantos's back.

"Why is he so different?" It wasn't that he was different so much as he was almost the same as he'd been when they first met each other. Lantos hadn't always been abusive. "Aggressive he's almost always been, but I know he wasn't always abusive, and now it's like he's changed."

"People change."

She scoffed amid disbelief and shook her head. "People yes, but Lantos? It's like someone emasculated him." Harding moved her hands over her abdomen and started to laugh.

"No one did that. _Threatened_, yes." She raised an eyebrow and studied Bianca closely. "I told him if he ever hit me, I would personally cut off his balls while pinning him down with arrows." Her eyes grew wide and she did a double take.

"Impressive." Bianca crossed her arms and looked back at Lantos. "Has he? Has he gotten violent with you or seemed like he was going to hit you?"

"Shockingly, no." Harding's eyelids fell halfway and her lips curved up a tiny bit. "But I think he knows I worry about that. He's been emotionally distant for a while." The woman breathed in deep and her shoulders started to rise. "But I don't think about that much. I stood my ground, laid it all out for him."

"How did the two of you meet?"

Harding made an uncertain groan and turned her eyes to the side. "Well…" Bianca squinted her gaze and studied the woman close as Harding scratched behind her head. "It might seem odd to you, but we met when he was scouting out Haven once. I guess I knew he was looking for you, so I gave him the opportunity to do something else, and we sparred…"

"You sparred with my ex-boyfriend?" Her arms fell to the sides and her eyebrows and lips fell flat. "Are you certain you weren't _fighting_ him?" Harding chuckled and her eyes swept to the right.

"Well it might have started out that way. I think I impressed him because we started exchanging combat tips. One thing led to another and we went out…I was honest with him, told him I knew who he was and what he was doing, and I wanted him to stop. I was firm, I told him I wouldn't tolerate any abuse, and if he got aggressive with me it was over."

Clearly the two had to have been meeting on a regular basis before their first date, but she could respect that no matter how uncomfortable it felt. She could feel a stirring from within, but it was just a mix of various emotions getting away with her. On one hand, she was angry that Lantos was changing for Harding, but on the other hand she was happy to hear it.

Harding ran her hand through her hair and started tightening her bun. "Hey Bianca?" Bianca rolled her head to the left and glanced to the right at the scout.

"What?"

"Lantos didn't want me to say it, but since your mother showed up, I think it's only right that you know…it's not the first time she's been around." Her heart stopped and she felt a heavy sensation moving through her legs, beckoning against her will to stop. "It wasn't long after you joined up with the Inquisition that she showed up at Haven, and then Skyhold…"

"Why didn't I know that? Did Dad tell her I was there at first?"

"No. Lantos said the Carta did. Your former clan. He was the one keeping her away." News that Davri might have been working with her clan hit her with the force of a building toppling onto her. So much that she could feel the wind being swept from her feet.

"What?" She coughed out and pulled her hand to her chest. "My mother-"

"She's been in bed with the Carta all this time." Harding glanced at Lantos with a frown. "She knew where you were. Lantos said he was the one keeping her away from the clan, away from you. Eventually it just got too stressful, that and a number of other things, and he took his anger out on you….it's not justified, but it's a reason."

Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she quickly swept them away with her fingers. This was too much to hear, and more than she wanted to know. "He kept her away how? Did Dasher know?"

"I don't think so. Lantos told me there were all sorts of attacks being sent to the clan from her, whether indirect or personal. She showed up several times and fought him to get through." She didn't want to believe it, but it would explain the times in their relationship in which Lantos would come to their hut covered in blood and angry or unwilling to talk. Most times he said he'd gotten in a scrap with someone at the tavern.

She turned her head away, whispering under her breath as she recalled the expression on his face back at the Hissing Wastes when talking about her mother. "So that's why." The bitterness was because of what occurred between them. "He's fought to keep my mother away from the clan."

"That guard that killed Dasher?" Harding closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Wasn't originally with the group of soldiers Commander Cullen sent." Her heart sank into her stomach and she raised her hand towards her forehead. "That guard went straight for Dasher and for Lantos, but nobody else. We think he was put there by your mother. An assassin."

"Harding. This is too much."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"No, I don't want to think about it anymore right now." While part of her didn't want her former clan to be completely eradicated, she hoped that the trio did wind up killing all of them. She hoped her mother might have been the one to awaken the dragon in the wastes and to have been eaten by it. "I'm starting to get a headache."

Lantos turned his head, peering over his right shoulder with narrow eyes. "Wouldn't have dropped it on her like that," he said abruptly, "Now she's going to obsess." Harding shrugged and Bianca snapped at him.

"What's with you never telling me even back then, Lantos?"

"I was protecting you then. That's all you need to know."

"From what? Back then the biggest threat to my life was the Clan!"

Lantos rolled his eyes and shook his head. "The biggest threat to your life back then, now, and even from the day you were born…was and is your mother." The air was sucked out from her lungs and a paralyzing sensation halted her on the spot. Her lips trembled and her hands closed as she watched the others turn to her. "I didn't know she was your mother the first couple of times we interacted, I thought she was just trying to attack the clan."

He crossed his arms and his brow furrowed. "It wasn't until I hunted her down that I demanded to know why she was attacking the clan so much, and that's when she told me who you were. You're the one that gets in the way, you're the one that would cause Varric to leave her, you're a threat to her and as long as you're not under her control or Marcus and Amelia, you'll always be a threat to her."

"You can forget Corypheus," Harding muttered. Bianca cleared her throat and Harding raised her head up to her. "I don't mean literally, but-"

"I know what you meant." Corypheus was a threat to everyone, but Bianca was comfortable with fighting him. She could stop him, she could find a way to defeat him. He wasn't one to be tampered with, no, nor was he one to be forgotten, but Davri might be a potentially greater threat to her and to her father.

Then there was the fact that if she were to die, no one could stop Corypheus. Which meant that while not working directly with him, for all she knew, Davri could hand him a victory. She almost had, if it hadn't been for the three of them finding her in the Wastes.

Lantos walked towards a tree and pressed his right shoulder against it. His forearms folded beneath his chest and his head tilted away from the tree. "For Corypheus, the only threat you pose is a tactical one. You're a military rival almost, one that he doesn't care whether you're alive or not so long as he can find a way to get to his goal. He could go around you, and is probably trying to do exactly that."

"Right…"

"Your mother, however, poses a greater threat to your life because she would just rather you're dead and out of the way. She's more likely to kill you even if you ignore her, while Corypheus would be just fine if you did opt to ignore him."

She wasn't sure how valid his statement was, but she knew there was a chance he was right. If she were to just stop getting in his way altogether, Corypheus might either stop or go after her less. Whatever the case, it seemed her mother was indeed a greater force to her on a more personal level.

A pulsing sensation started in her head, feeling as though someone were smashing a hammer into her head. "I don't want to think about this anymore." She put her hand to her stomach as though to console the nausea within. "Let's just get back to Skyhold." Flashes of her mother striking her down appeared in her mind, forcing the painful throbs to increase. "I can't think about this."

"Yeah, just don't ignore it." Lantos pushed away from the tree and snapped his fingers at Sandal. "Salesman, get over here." She heard Sandal groan and glanced over to see the man approach.

"What is it, asshole?" Sandal flashed a toothy grin and Lantos smirked.

"First off, try harder for an insulting nickname." Bianca rolled her eyes and shook her head at Harding. Lantos's arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed. "We're right around the corner from Skyhold. You and Harding are going in there." She furrowed her brow while Harding raised her eyebrows.

"What about you?"

"I'm gone. They don't need to know I was involved." Lantos walked to the right and glanced sideways at them. "I'm sure her dad will want to thank you for saving his kid, Sandal." Sandal sputtered and smacked his hand to his chest.

"I wasn't the one that found her, if I'm honest. You're the one that found her, you helped her get through the wastes." Lantos rolled his head to the right and started to hum while staring at Sandal. "Besides, he knows me. He wouldn't believe I got through there."

"You had Harding with you. Bianca's alive and safe. I hardly think Tethras is going to press for details." Lantos turned fully to Sandal. His eyes drifted over to Bianca and the corners of his mouth sank. "Besides, it's better that he believes you found her."

It didn't sit well with her that Lantos wanted to conceal his involvement. Truly she just wanted to get home, but she wasn't going to lie to her father about what happened. "Whatever the case…" She met his gaze and hesitated for a second to examine the calmness they held. It caught her off guard. She shook her head and cleared her throat. "You did find me, and like it or not, I might not have made it out of there without your help."

Bianca folded her hands together before her waist and bowed her head. Her shoulders fell and a heavy breath swept from her lungs. "Thank you." She never thought she'd thank him for anything, and it was certainly tough to say those words. Lantos chuckled once and the tiniest smile formed on his face. "All of you, really. I could go on about how capable I am of fighting, but let's be honest…Davri left me without my weapon, without armor, it was only a matter of time."

"Yes." Lantos raised his eyebrows and flicked a finger at Sandal. "Don't forget to give Sandal a kiss for his heroism." Her cheeks turned red and Sandal coughed into his hand. "He did bring your armor and weapon after all."

"Right." She looked over her shoulder, smiling at Sandal and Harding. "Thank you too." They smiled back at her, then she saw Harding's eyes move past her. The woman frowned and closed her eyes. Bianca curled her eyebrows together and turned back.

Lantos was gone. "He didn't even say goodbye," Sandal muttered, "What's up with that?"

Harding shrugged and started walking. "He didn't want to say goodbye I suppose." She pushed past Bianca with a subtle smile and motioned for her. "Come on. Varric will be waiting."

Time moved slow for the rest of the journey, despite Skyhold not being that far from where they were. By the time they reached the bridge, they were tired and their legs were about to give way to exhaustion.

Varric was spotted pacing in front of the rest of Bianca's companions and advisors. His hand was caressing his chin and he was trembling. When he saw them approach, he dropped his hand and took a quick, deep breath.

"Bianca." Her heart jumped as he ran to her and threw his arms around her. She hugged him back, burying her face into his chest. "Thank god you're alright." Tears welled up in her eyes and she tightened her hug on him, but loosened her grip, fearing that she was squeezing too tightly.

Varric's head pulled back and his eyes were glazed over with worried tears. "The letter said you were found in the Wastes?" Her throat tightened and she gave an abrupt nod. "God…" He looked to Harding and Sandal, smiling at them. "You found her?"

"We managed to get her armor and weapon to her," Harding said with a quiet tone. "It's been a long journey. The important thing is she's safe." Sandal nodded in agreeance and Varric thanked them.

Bianca looked past them and at the shadows that fell from nearby trees and walls. Lantos was still nowhere to be seen.

"Someone else helped." Her eyes dipped to the ground and the others looked to her. An intense frown swept across Harding's face while Sandal remained stoic. "They didn't want to let their involvement be known, though…" Varric's forehead tensed and he nodded firmly.

"Whatever the case, I'm just glad you're safe."

She would just be glad for a warm bed and a hot meal, but she knew rest wasn't going to come easy. "We probably should get to work now, right?" She inhaled and stepped away from him. "Adamant Fortress?"

"Not right now." He put his hand to her back and guided her through the others and into Skyhold. "You need to get some rest first. We have agents looking for your mother too…she is going to answer for this."

* * *

So much has been discovered here, regarding Davri and the past associations with Lantos. What are your thoughts about everything? Also, do you think Lantos was in the right to let Varric believe Sandal and Harding bear the sole responsibility for locating his daughter? Bianca has a great deal to think about in regards to her mother, but there are still other matters. Still, perhaps she shouldn't simply ignore that her mother is out there.


	30. Strong and Adamant

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: I want to let it be known that I have seen the videos of Trespasser (Can't play it since I don't have a PS4, and my PC is crap). I have already had the ending of this story planned out long before this DLC, so what you can expect that to mean is for this story-erase Trespasser from your mind, because that doesn't work for the direction I am taking this story in. Understand that if you can.

* * *

Chapter 30 (Strong and Adamant)

"So let me get this straight…" Varric looked over his shoulder. His chest expanded slowly. "Your entire clan is dead? Dasher was assassinated and the rest came after you while you were with Harding and Sandal?"

"Yes." Bianca folded her arms and looked over her shoulder. Nearly all of her companions, and her advisors, were walking behind them as they approached Adamant fortress. The army that followed was overwhelming, and no amount of preparation for what was to come seemed enough to prepare her for the assault on Adamant.

Varric scratched his head and slanted his eyes. "Harding I believe, but I'm still in shock over how _Sandal_ could have even stood against an army of Carta." Bianca flashed a smile and listened to her father's proud chuckle. "Still, I'm not surprised an army of Carta couldn't stand against my daughter." Her smile faded and she shrugged.

"Well, it wasn't exactly like that." This wasn't the best time to discuss what happened to her while in the mountains. She wanted to tell him everything, including Lantos's involvement. It was strange, but she felt she needed to let it be known that the man was there.

Bianca looked at the fortress in the distance, and soon forgot her concerns. "While some things still confuse me, this really isn't the time or place to figure it all out." She ran her hand over her neck and let loose a weary sigh.

"We can discuss it another time, Bianca." Varric's smile was warm, and as soon as it appeared, her tense muscles began to relax. "I'm glad you're handling everything well."

"I'm taking everything the best I can. I'm not thrilled we're about to fight a bunch of wardens though…" These people were heroes, more to her than just the people that stopped the blight. "Grey Wardens saved my life-and well, everyone else too but, how can I fight them?"

Varric bowed his head a bit and raised his hand up to his chin. "Look at it this way…" His thumb slid gently over the curve of his chin. "They're under Corypheus's control. A tevinter magister is binding them and using their fears of the calling against them. You're here to stop them from making a terrible mistake, and by doing that, you're rescuing them."

Bianca looked over her shoulder, frowning at the other companions walking with them. Solas was the one that disliked the wardens the most, though she couldn't understand why.

Cassandra was upset with the Wardens as well, but she didn't voice her opinion of them nearly as much as Solas. Both of them seemed like they wouldn't mind putting the wardens six feet under for their crimes if they had the chance.

"I feel like if we manage to stop them, that it's not going to end there."

"Sure. People might turn to you to decide what to do with the Wardens next." Varric dropped his hand and turned his glance sideways at the others. "Some may want you to kick them out of Orlais, others may want you to give them another chance. At the end of the day, yes you have to do what you feel is best for Thedas and what you feel is _right_, but listen to your heart as well. If it comes down to you making a choice, nobody will truly fault you for listening to your heart."

"I hope you're right." Her hands balled up and her eyes narrowed onto the approaching fortress. "More drama isn't something I feel like dealing with. I just want this to all be over."

"I know you do."

Bianca relaxed her hands and looked up to the sky as she thought about Corypheus and the dragon he had with him. "You know. Bull wants to go dragon hunting." Varric coughed and beat a fist against his chest.

"Nope, not a chance. Absolutely _not._ I did not just get you back, almost lose you again to your mother, just to get you back again only to fight some giant dragon run another risk of losing you."

The fear was understandable in her eyes; she didn't want to lose him either, but the risk was already there no matter what they would do. "You know we run that risk every day with what we're doing now." She extended her hand to the fortress and Varric frowned. "Even right now, going up against an army of wardens and demons."

"I suppose." His shoulders fell and he shook his head slowly. "Corypheus has a dragon anyway, so Bull could be onto something there."

"Besides just thrill seeking?"

Varric laughed once and smirked as he looked back to the large Qunari. "Yeah. Maybe hunting dragons would be good practice. Still, it's dangerous. I've fought dragons in the past with Thane and the others, and they're nothing to take lightly. That high dragon we fought practically killed us on the spot, if it wasn't for Anders-"

"Anders? As in the crazy guy?" Her eyebrows shot up and Varric waved his hand in the air.

"It is the one time you'll hear me praise him. He was the healer among us, he'd take care of our wounds, so we dragged him along to kill the dragon. If it wasn't for him, we'd be in the belly of that damned thing like the rest of the people at the Bone Pit."

"Bone Pit?"

"A mine."

"Funny name for a mine…"

"That's what I thought."

"We're here," Cullen shouted from behind, "Everyone get in place." Bianca looked up at the battlements of the castle with a groan; the wardens had already spotted them.

She prayed not to see Oghren here, nor any of the other wardens that may have been with him during the fifth blight. It would be too much for her to deal with. "Dad?" Varric froze and turned his head, stammering just before flashing a smile. "What happens if we see Oghren here?"

"Shouldn't. He's with his family these days, according to Leliana." Her heart swelled up with relief. "Just like Leliana's lover shouldn't be here either. Wherever David is…"

"So the chances of running into any wardens we know personally?"

"Besides that guy?" Varric gestured his thumb at Blackwall and shrugged. "I'd say pretty slim." There was also Stroud, here to help try and save the wardens from the corruption. "You know if Oghren were here, he'd be on our side. King Alistair too."

"It is good to see wardens that aren't listening to that fake calling…"

"It does make me wonder if some are just simply stronger than others, or smarter." Varric removed his crossbow and furrowed his brow. "I'd say smarter. After all, for every warden to hear the calling at the same time, you have to think some of them are going to realize that can't be possible."

The initial fight was a race against time; a struggle to reach Warden Commander Clarel before it was too late. They managed to gain the support of the Warden warriors, but just as they started to turn the tide, Erimond summoned Corypheus's dragon.

It was then the Wardens realized they'd been tricked. Clarel chased after Erimond, and Bianca ran after her. Varric, Solas and Cassandra were quick on her heels, and just behind them ran Thane and Warden Stroud.

At the last minute, Erimond escaped and Clarel gave her life to try and kill the dragon chasing after all of them. It crashed into the castle floor and brought everyone down with it.

She lost consciousness momentarily during the fall, but when she came to she came to, the group had fallen into a strange land with greenish skies and murky water. The last thing she remembered was opening a rift before hitting the ground, but she didn't recall passing through.

Her father started to mutter and she looked at him with curiosity. "Oh hell." Varric's lips pulled apart to reveal clenched teeth, and his muscles were rigid. Solas began laughing and chattering about the location they were in-the fade. "Of course." Varric rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You enjoy it here…"

"It's the fade," Solas replied, "We're walking physically in the fade. What's not to marvel about this experience?"

"We better find a way out of here…" Varric unfolded his arms and mumbled under his breath. "I swear when all this is over, I'm taking my daughter and we're getting off this insane continent."

"We've been here before," Thane replied, "Just not like this." Bianca wanted to ask what he was referring to, but it didn't seem all that pivotal for the moment. "Bianca. They say you walked out of the fade back at Haven, was it like this?"

"I'm not entirely sure." She stepped forward, her eyes darted about swiftly as the hair on her neck started to stand. "There's not much I remember about what happened. I do remember Lantos was there, but that's it."

"Well." Cassandra scratched her head and narrowed her eyes. "That's reassuring." Her tone bore a hint of sarcasm, and a sneer spread across the woman's already stern face. "We already knew Lantos was there, but it's still curious just what his involvement was. Do you remember if he pushed you into that room or something?"

"He was yelling something at me, but that's all I actually do remember."

"Asshole," Varric said with a disgusted snort. "Come, let's just find a way out of here."

They didn't get far before discovering Divine Justinia waiting for them. Bianca approached her with suspicion, as she'd been told by Solas once before that the fade was a tricky and treacherous place. While this woman could be Justinia herself, there was still a chance she was a spirit or worse still-a demon.

While the woman provided no answers as to what she was, she did explain in great detail about the demon that ruled the domain they were in; a fear demon that fed on the fears of humanity which provided a demon army for Corypheus. The only way to escape the fade was to defeat the nightmare and regain the memories that had been taken from her at Haven.

As they did this, she grew more unsettled and on edge. Every fear that she had, every panicked thought that raced through her mind was clear as day here in this mysterious place, and she didn't like it.

More so she hated being vulnerable and exposed. There were bits of her life that she had yet to tell Varric or the others, bits that she wanted to keep inside at all costs.

Halfway through, she was sweating and trying her best to keep the others from noticing her discomfort. When the demon began to speak, her heart nearly burst and she almost took off running, but held her ground knowing that her father and the others were there for her. As they were standing strong, so would she.

"Ah you are ripe with fear." The demon's voice taunted her, and the air grew cold as she ran ahead of the group. She sought to end this as quickly as possible, and the only way to do that was to plunge her blade deep into the heart of this thing. "How long shall you run? How often will you cower, anticipating rescue from those that surround you."

Bianca's teeth ground together and she hissed through the slits between her teeth. "Shut up." Her hand tightened around the holster of her blade as she listened to the rich laughter that echoed through the air.

"A hero who doesn't know how to be one. You who are nothing, you who remains a small and insignificant little speck on a continent that the world will never know the existence of. Who will you be to Thedas? Who will you be to the world? Nothing, nobody."

"Shut up!"

"Abused by those who should have loved you, beaten and molested by those who you sought shelter in."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the others to see if they were listening, but their focused gazes were in front of her and they were unresponsive. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the demon was in her head now.

"Lantos couldn't keep you safe, but took his stress out on you. Your father couldn't save you from your own mother, much less save himself. Your friends cannot protect you. Now your heroes, the ones you call the Grey Wardens threaten the country, betraying all. What makes you think you can rescue them? What makes you think you can rescue _anyone_. You should have died at childbirth."

It was toying with her, trying to make her scream out and alarm the others. It knew she didn't want them knowing the deeper fears. If it continued to taunt her in the way that it was, those fears would not take long to fester and become known.

Ignoring the voice was difficult, but she pressed on without further response, so the demon turned its attention onto the others. They were less receptive, and quick to bite back.

It was not long before she recovered the memories of what happened to her at Haven. Lantos had tried to follow her inside, but the door wound up closing behind her. Grey Wardens under Corypheus's spell had been holding the Divine while Corypheus prepared to sacrifice her in an attempt to force open the fade.

Her entrance interrupted them, and the object he was holding was the very thing that gave her the mark. It was no act of god, it was just an accident, but none of that mattered to her anymore.

While she hated the anchor and wished it was gone, facts were she had it and there was nothing she could do about it.

"My Carta clan is gone," she whispered while making her approach to the cave where the nightmare demon awaited her. "They can't hurt me anymore-Lantos of all people made sure of that…" She breathed in deep, then released a stuttering breath. "This anchor is stuck on my hand, and nothing is going to change that. My father is at my side, and until I'm finished here, nothing you say matters."

She stood at the steps and stared at the humanoid creature with six arms stretching from its back. The demon roared out and turned its eyes into hers. "I know your desire to escape Thedas…" He extended his arm and Bianca narrowed her eyes. "But who can say whether you will live long enough to leave this land? Why would you even want to, aren't you afraid of what is out there?"

Cassandra let out a gasp of astonishment and inquired about this sudden wish, but Bianca raised up her hand and stayed focused on the demon in front of her. "What does it matter? Nothing outside these lands could possibly be as bad, as hellish, as demon-infested as Thedas itself."

"There is nothing more fearsome than the fear of the unknown."

"And there's nothing more fearsome than isolating yourself because you're too afraid of the things you don't understand." She raised her axe and pointed it towards the creature. "If I thought Thedas was bad enough before encountering you, after seeing you, I realize how naïve I must have been."

"Then leave."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because my father and I decided…before we take up his friend's offer, we're going to rid Thedas of Corypheus and his corruption." Her brow furrowed and her lips curved into a deadly smirk. "And we're starting first with rescuing the Wardens. They won't be destroyed, and the next blight that Thedas falls under will not destroy this continent."

"Wait," Solas began, "You're going to save the Wardens rather than send them away? I thought we agreed wardens were bad."

"Wardens saved my life, Solas. I can't ignore that. They stopped the blight and kept all of Thedas from sinking by the influence of Darkspawn. I cannot ignore that."

Varric laughed once and aimed his crossbow at the demon. "That's my girl. Let's end this." He fired a bolt that landed square in the demon's chest. The creature reared back its head and flinched as a painful cry echoed into the air.

"You will pay dearly for that."

"Bring it on, bastard."

The fight that followed was a fierce and intense battle, and one which Bianca had to maneuver herself quickly in order to avoid being slashed by his six claws. Eventually she managed to leap up behind it and swing her blade down the creature's spine, severing it in the center and killing the demon.

Before they could leave from the rift at Adamant, they were faced with a giant spider demon. It had pus oozing from pores that littered its rough brown skin, and long fangs that could tear them to shreds.

For all the fighting going on between Thane and Stroud, they managed to come to an agreement where Stroud acknowledged that the wardens were indeed responsible for this mess, and he gave his life bravely to let the others escape.

As Varric predicted, upon reaching the other side, Bianca was faced with a tough decision on whether or not to let the Grey Wardens ally with the Inquisition and rebuild, or to banish them from Orlais.

They were susceptible to corruption and had fallen to Corypheus twice now, once when her father and Thane defeated Corypheus and now. Deep in her heart, she thought back to the group that rescued her from the deep roads and ended the blights past, and she could not bring herself to make the Wardens leave.

Looking into her father's eyes, she saw a glimmer of pride that filled her heart. "Rebuild and ally with us," she said to the Wardens. If she and her father truly planned to leave with Isabella and Thane in the future, someone was going to have to make sure Thedas didn't fall to chaos the next time magic began a blight, and only the Wardens knew how to save the country.

Cassandra and Solas both shook their heads, but said very little in the way of voicing their disdain. Varric simply smiled, knowing she'd taken his advice and followed what she thought was the right decision.

"I won't be the reason Thedas loses the one thing protecting it from future Blights."

* * *

The title should imply more than just the name of the fortress. Really this should show the growth of Bianca as she is getting stronger both physically and mentally. You see the fear demon could not talk her down, and she made the decision she thought was best though many disagree. That said, what are your thoughts right now, and your observations? I'm sure by now, also, you've realized there's more to that theory that had been mentioned than just being mentioned, it is getting used.


	31. The Strangest Dream

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 31 (The Dream)

_ The world outside was strange, yet intoxicating. By the time they reached land, much of those aboard were exhausted from the perilous journey and were thrilled to be off the ocean despite the shipwreck. _

_ Isabela had done her best to keep her calm despite the storm that threw them off course. They were uncertain which way they were headed, so when it took longer than the original amount of time it took Isabela to reach this new world, the crew had begun to grow fearful of sinking._

_ Now standing before them was a tall man with a stoic expression and a heavy stare. He wore a white powdered wig with an oddly shaped blue hat atop his head. He was in uniform similar to that of what was at the Winter Palace, but with broadened blue shoulders that bore glistening stars. The man's jacket flaps spread apart to reveal a white shirt with a tail that flapped over white pants of a rough material. He wore heavy black boots that rose to his knees._

_ At his waist was a holster with an oddly shaped device that appeared to be some sort of portable cannon. His right hand was gently placed atop the holster of a long sword. Despite not appearing battle ready, no one wanted to tussle with this intimidating figure._

_ "Identify yourself travelers," said the man in a calm and collected tone. Bianca approached carefully and maintained eye contact with him. There was a firmness to his words, one that beckoned her to be honest. _

_ "We're shipwrecked and we have little idea where we are." Bianca placed her hand to her chest and looked at the crew. "We are no threat to you, but we're out of food and have no shelter.. "We are no threat to you, but we're out of food and have no shelter. If you want, I can grab our captain."_

_ "Yes. Thank you. I may be able to offer some aid." The man pulled his hand from the sword; a sign of trust. He straightened his back and turned his eyes to Isabela as she approached. "I am General-"_

Bianca awoke with a start and started rubbing her eyes as the sunlight pierced them. "Another dream?" She blinked twice and looked towards the balcony. Her hands lowered to the bed sheets and tightened around them. "So vivid. Even if Solas says it's the anchor, I can't possibly understand…"

It didn't take much for her to get dressed and head out into the main hall. Her initial plan was to spend some time with Cassandra in the training area, but the dream she had was still on her mind; so she sought out Solas instead.

Solas stared at her for a moment as she walked into his den, and spoke without missing a beat. "Is there a problem? You look troubled." She took a seat at his table and looked up at him with a faint smile.

"I'd like some advice."

"Oh?"

"Yes. These dreams you were telling me about. The anchor was causing them…"

"That is correct." Solas approached the table. His left arm wrapped around his waist and he perched his right elbow on the arm while scratching at his chin. "You had another dream?"

"Yeah but it's so vivid." The other dreams would fade away almost instantly while nightmares would linger for a few minutes before ultimately being forgotten. "Like what you did when you took me back to Haven in a dream, I could still remember that trip."

"It is still unknown the effects the anchor would have on you. What can you tell me about this dream of yours?"

"It was weird. Like dad and I, Isabella and Thane, as well a whole bunch of others were shipwrecked in this really strange place." She remembered the area behind the man in her dream; it wasn't so much that they shipwrecked in a random location as there were barrels and paved roads near tall buildings and structures that looked relatively similar to Orlais.

"It was like we were in Val Royeaux, but it wasn't truly that. There was this strange man dressed almost formally, but it wasn't a formal occasion." Solas's eyes narrowed for a moment and he paced to the right.

"I see. Was there anything else you can recall?"

"I woke up and he was introducing himself as a general." Her eyebrows slid together and her eyes drifted towards her left hand. "He looked intimidating enough, but he wasn't wearing armor that would be indicative of a General."

Whatever it meant, there was a chance Solas could know. She looked up to him as someone that knew a great deal of information, so she respected and valued him deeply.

"Solas? Do you…do you think it's just a dream and nothing more?"

"Possibly, or possibly the anchor is showing you images of the world outside Thedas."

Her jaw dropped as she considered it. Bianca shook her head and slammed her left hand shut. "Are you sure there's even a chance?" It didn't seem like the right question to ask, but it felt like she was onto something. "Solas. Do you know what the outside world is even like? I mean, all any of us have ever known is Thedas, the countries of Orlais, Ferelden, Antiva, but all that uncharted and undiscovered area…"

Solas's mouth dropped to a frown and his chest expanded slowly. "You've been thinking more about that stuff, I see." His hand fell away and he sat down across from her.

"It's hard not to. Josephine asked about it in our meeting room too, but she doesn't know what you told me. I thought since you knew so much about it that maybe you'd somehow seen the outside world."

"How? There's a barrier up."

"Some can go through. Like Dad's friend Isabela, surely you've gone through?"

"Unfortunately not." Solas leaned back in the chair and pushed his hands down his legs. "I am afraid I am not as adventured as you may have believed me to be. Perhaps if you were to ask Isabela what it was she discovered?"

"Maybe I can have dad send her a letter." She inhaled deep and shut her eyes. The memory of the strange general appeared in her head and drew a smile to her face. "Thank you for talking with me, Solas. You know I respect you a lot."

"I-thank you." Solas smiled back and Bianca opened her eyes. "What are your plans today?"

"I was going to train a bit with Cassandra."

"I see. Enjoy yourself then."

She made her way out to her friend to see Cassandra standing still beside one of the mannequins. Her fingers were caressing her chin and scarred cheek, and her forehead was tense.

Bianca raised her hand, waving as she approached. Cassandra's lips fell apart and she raised her head. "Bianca! I wasn't expecting to see you."

"I was coming to spar with you."

"Oh."

Cassandra's voice fell quiet and the woman started to hum. "Is something wrong?" The woman walked towards the stone wall and leaned her back against it.

"I've been thinking. Something was said at Adamant…You wish to leave Thedas behind?"

She paused and turned her eyes downcast. This wasn't the time to bring up such a conversation, but she knew it was going to have to happen. "You know I haven't had the best life here. Dad's friend says there's more out there, beyond the borders we know, and I want to explore that world."

"But you don't know what's out there. None of us do."

"That's why I want to see it."

"What will happen once you leave Thedas, Bianca? You've established a foothold here. This is your home, isn't it?"

She moved beside her friend and carefully sat on the ground. Her fingers idly brushed the grass and her shoulders fell. In her heart she could feel the familiar pain that existed as she grew; the sense that she did not belong.

"Maybe." She thought she was safe when she found Skyhold, and sure she believed an army was going to protect her. "Marcus and Amelia managed to sneak in. Mom abducted me from the front gate. I thought I was safe here, but I'm not."

"You are."

"Yeah, I feel safest when I'm talking to dad, but that's about it." Her head moved back against the wall and she peered up to the sky. "All my life I've searched for a place to belong, just like Dad has. I guess we never found that place…"

"Is it really all about that? Does Varric not wish to return to Kirkwall?"

If he had, he hadn't said anything about it. It was possible for Kirkwall to be home to her as well, but she wasn't certain if it was the right move.

By now their adventures had taken them all over, and there were many parts of Thedas that was truly beautiful, but many parts that she didn't care for at the same time. "Thedas is-it's pretty similar all around. The Dalish hate the humans no matter where they are, mages feel oppressed no matter where they are, the Templars have gone nuts pretty much everywhere, and let's face it…are things really going to change?"

"They can."

"As long as magic exists, people are going to be afraid of mages and then mages will act out." She bent her knee and hung her left arm over it. "As long as magic exists, demons and darkspawn will exist, and as long as they exist, so will the blights continue to come."

Cassandra crossed her arms and Bianca turned her head to the woman. "Thedas has a huge problem, Cassandra. It's addicted to magic."

"What makes you think the world outside Thedas is any better?"

"It's just the lure of exploration that gets me. More than dreaming of a land without all this corruption and all this hell." An exhale trembled from her lips as she pushed herself onto her feet and pat down her clothes. "Isabela's letter said people in this other land had no knowledge of anything here."

It didn't help that she had very little in the way of positive memories in Thedas. Cassandra had a point, there was no real way to run away from the problems people had in life, but it was better than staying put and letting them kill her.

"Solas said that ancient elves erected a barrier to keep our continent isolated from the outside world…for the rest of the world, we're uncharted. What's so bad about wanting to see something new? Something different?"

"The uncertainty. You never know what is out there, and when you see what there is, will you really like it?"

"Who can say, but that's the joy of it." She shrugged and took a small step forward. "I'm sick of running scared, looking over my shoulder to see who wants to kill me next. I'm sick of being unable to go outside without seeing either a demon summoned by a power crazed mage or darkspawn trying to get their kicks."

"I understand." Cassandra's breath shuttered and her eyes started to glaze over. "You are a good friend. Just know that if you and your father decide to leave, you will not be forgotten."

"Thank you."

"You-" The woman cleared her throat and coughed into her hand. "You know you would have to find someone to take charge if you left."

"Someone with the heart and ability to lead. I know. Someone that people would look up to." Having that responsibility made her uneasy, but someone would have to pick a new leader if it came to that. "Would you like to spar for a while?"

"That would be nice. Just the two of us?"

"It has been a while."

She hurried off to grab her axe, and for the next few hours the two focused only on each other. It was refreshing to focus on something besides the insanity around them for a change, and their friendship strengthened.

Then towards the end of the day she thought of the strange dream from before, with the General's stern expression flashing in her head like a beacon. Perhaps it was just her subconscious thoughts that created the dream, but now she could recall Isabela's boat as well-in splinters.

A sign, perhaps, that leaving Thedas didn't just mean leaving behind all the nightmares but leaving behind the friends she was making in the process. Now she understood why it was that Cassandra appeared upset at the mention of the plan.

Regardless, the desire to see this mysterious world was strong. The dream had to have meant something, but maybe the focus wasn't so much on the General as it was on Isabela's broken ship. Was it a sign? If they left Thedas, would they be unable to return?

* * *

It's a refreshing chapter without a bunch of constant worry. I haven't gotten to the Arbor Wilds yet, but that should bode to be intriguing. What are your thoughts of everything?


	32. Discussing the Journey

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Sorry it's been a while, I got behind on my final courses on my last semester here (Graduating this semester), and I've had to focus my attentions elsewhere. Please, enjoy this chapter. A very important discussion goes on here.

* * *

Chapter 32 (Discussing the Journey)

"This truly is a beautiful place," Bianca said while walking through the Emerald Graves with her father. Much of the beasts and the freemen that ravaged the land had been dealt with some time ago by their group.

Varric looked at her with a smile and let out a quick breath of air. "Peaceful when it's not chaotic." Bianca gazed up at the shimmering green leaves that shimmered in the sunlight above them. "It almost makes me not want to leave this place."

"I could stay in the Graves forever if I knew it would remain this way." They approached the Cliffside and stood at the edge, gazing in awe of the environment. Bianca took in the amazing view of the rolling clouds separating below, to reveal a distant river surrounded by plains of grass, and mountains that rose like towers embracing the skies.

"I talked to Cassandra, Dad." She kept her focus on the view, and closed her hands gently. "She doesn't seem happy that we're talking about leaving Thedas to explore, but she's supportive."

"Yeah, I imagine it's more to do with losing a friend than losing the Inquisitor, if you're worrying about what she's thinking about." Varric turned towards her and her gaze whisked over to him. "I haven't fully accepted Isabela's offer yet. You and I need to decide if this is what we want; that's what Isabela and Hawke say. We would be leaving a lot of people behind."

That gave her a momentary sense of nervousness, but mostly due to the friends she'd made sense joining the Inquisition. "Who would go with us? Other than everyone we have back at Skyhold, I don't think there are a lot of people that would miss me much…"

"You can't forget about the people you've impacted, those who see you as a hero, but they will move on with their lives." He folded his arms and turned his head sideways at the cliff, peering down at the space below. "Isabela wants a decision soon, but she's giving us time. At least until we stop Corypheus."

"That sounds fair."

"It is." He glanced back and curved up the corners of his mouth. "Anyway, the people that would come with us are among Isabela's crew that she's building. She and Hawke told me that we can invite anyone we'd like to join us, with a few obvious exceptions."

"Like what?" Her heart dropped as she considered the meaning. It didn't take much to know that one of the friends who had become the closest to her wasn't going to be able to make that journey. "She mentioned the outside world didn't have mages or elves, so I wouldn't be able to invite Sera?"

"Well Sera could try to wear a hat to cover her ears up for the rest of her life, and we'd have no problem." Varric chuckled and shook his head. "I'm fairly certain birth defects exist out there, such as how Isabela mentions that to the rest of the world dwarves are humans with stunted growth."

She scratched at her chin and squinted for a few seconds. "That's not a bad thought, if she'd go for it." She pulled her hand away with a sigh and shook her head. "Something tells me she might say no to the new world."

"Never hurts to ask. I've got a few friends back in Kirkwall I'm planning to invite along."

"Oh?"

"Although some of them have ties, such as Aveline, so I'm certain they'd turn down the invite. Thane asked his sister along, I think she'll be joining us. I've also asked Leliana to extend some invitations to some of her friends from the travels with the Warden."

"Like Oghren?" Her eyebrows rose and a flicker of hope shot through her. Varric looked at her opening eyes and laughed.

"Yes, he's actually accepted the invite. He's bringing his family along."

"That's great." She separated her lips to form a wide, toothy grin, and did her best to resist the urge to cheer. "Anyone else?"

"Leliana has sent Morrigan and her son an invite, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen since Morrigan is a mage." She walked to a nearby tree and leaned against it, crossing her arms in the process.

"She's good about not using it in sight of anyone. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Isabela spoke of a time she learned about in this new world…while mages and magic do not exist, people who attempt to recreate magic are called witches and they are not looked on favorably. If a mage leaves with us, there's a risk that they will be hung, burned at stake, or just simply ostracized."

"Nice to know it's not a perfect world out there too."

"Yeah, but the thing is, according to everything Isabela learned, it's nothing like it is here in Thedas. Nothing so demonic or dangerous as the hell this country seems to be forever plagued with."

She agreed since the only thing she was hearing about were judgments made by society as a whole. "I could live in a world without demons, without darkspawn, without mages or-" Just then a distant roar filled the air and chilled her bones. She tensed and looked over her shoulder.

"Or dragons," Varric muttered. He pushed his hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "Anyway, I've not heard anything from Morrigan about the invite, so I don't know that she'll be going with us. Leliana sent one to Alistar, despite knowing he can't leave."

"Yeah, as King of Ferelden, what's he going to do? Abdicate the throne?"

"He might want a heir before he does that." Varric approached her and looked in the direction of the dragon. "I would love to send Merrill an invite, just like you probably want to send Sera one…assuming elves could get past whatever ancient being is protecting that barrier, Sera might be able to go more than Merrill would even be allowed."

"Why?"

"Merrill still practices blood magic on occasion." His answer was quick and blunt, but the look on his face was that of sorrow. She frowned when she saw it, but had nothing to say. "As much as I like the kid, even I know taking her to this new land would be hazardous for her, us, and people there."

"That's unfortunate."

"Yeah." He took in a slow breath and cleared his throat. "Leliana says she isn't certain whether she will leave with us or not. If she does, she will ask David if he will join us."

"The Warden? I guess if he does, that would be great. Why is she not certain yet?"

"She wants to wait and see what happens after Corypheus is defeated, and after the divine is selected." She snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering that Leliana was one of those being considered for Divine. She wanted Leliana to be with them, she was like a mother to her and she felt comfortable around her.

Varric smiled at her and gently pat her on the shoulder. "I know you would love to have her come. That's a major deciding factor for her, too, so keep that in mind." Her heart rose and swelled with hope.

Even still, she wouldn't ask Leliana to turn down an offer of Divine if she were to be the one considered.

"Who else do you think would go on that trip?"

"David reached out to some of his old friends: Nathanial Howe and another dwarf, Sigrun. We haven't heard anything back from them at this time." He curled an index finger over his chin and squinted his eyes. "There is just one problem."

"What's that?"

"Isabela isn't entirely certain how Grey Wardens are going to fare getting across that barrier. There's a chance nothing will happen, but there's also a chance the darkspawn taint they have within them might kill them. There's no way to know, no answer, and I'm not sure how willing I am to subject any of them to that."

"If that's the case, I really don't want to make Oghren go and risk his life on something that he wouldn't be able to control."

"I brought it up with him." Varric pulled his hand away and laughed. "That guy is a fighter through and through. His words were 'I survived the blight, I survived the joining, I'm ignoring this false calling, and I can survive a damn ancient barrier'." Bianca laughed and felt a shot of pride pulse from her heart.

"No matter what, I'll always admire him."

"Admire the heroics though, not the foolishness."

"Oh yeah." She was curious what kind of magic effect the barrier would have. If it was designed to keep things out while keeping things in, then certain traits could certainly become poison. "What if that barrier is like the joining for the Wardens? What if some didn't make it and others did? What if no mage has ever left this country because they died going through that barrier?"

"It's a mystery," someone said from behind. They looked over to see Thane walking towards them. His eyes were sharp and calm, and his lips were stretched into a calm smile. "Isabela actually took me across recently to show me what it's like. There is so much we don't know about that barrier, and we don't have the ability to study it."

"I thought you left!" Bianca pulled away from the tree and hurried over to Thane. "So what was it like?" Thane dusted off the shoulder of his armor and shrugged.

"Weisshaupt or the barrier?"

"Both. You haven't given any word back about it."

"The leaders there are agitated and have a lot to deal with, I'll put it that way. They offered to have me join as a Warden, but I turned them down so they sent me on my way." Thane shrugged. "I get the feeling they're about to crumble to the ground. Corypheus really did a lot of damage to the Wardens."

"Yeah." She bowed her head and fell silent as Varric approached the two. "I had a lot of faith in the wardens, and I still do." She raised her head up and a faint smile grew. "Am I wrong for that?"

"I don't think so." Thane brought his hand down onto her shoulder and turned his strong eyes into hers. There was a note of wisdom in them that drew her full attention towards him. "There are a lot of good people in the Wardens, and you should never forget those people under any circumstance. If you allow what Coryphus has done to define them, then you condemn even the ones that you hold as heroes."

He started to smile, but it was brief, and he started to speak with a gruff tone. "The ones that did turn, they need to be held responsible for their actions." Bianca nodded once and held her breath. "But think about your heroes, did they listen to Corypheus calling? Did they follow him blindly, or were they smart enough to know it was false?"

Her heart jumped into her throat and she grinned widely, knowing that both Oghren and Alistair hadn't been involved in any of this mess. "They knew it was fake." Even David hadn't been involved. According to Leliana, he not only knew the calling was false, he was trying to find a cure for it.

"And they were strong enough to resist the calling." Thane snapped his fingers and pointed to her. "Don't forget Stroud himself. If you haven't considered him a personal hero of yours at this point-remember that you wouldn't be standing here outside the fade if it wasn't for his sacrifice. Every warden wouldn't be safe from Corypheus if not for his sacrifice."

"That is true." She hadn't thought much about what transpired there since she wanted to forget the whole ordeal, but she did thank Stroud for his actions. "He is a hero."

"And Weisshaupt will remember him as such, I am told." Thane crossed his arms and looked towards the cliff's edge. His chest started to expand, and fell when his mouth opened. "As for the barrier, it is truly a thing of mystery, as I've said before. Going through it, I felt a strange sensation in my body, almost like it was trying to cleanse me."

"Cleanse?"

"I can think of no other way to describe what I felt. At first there was this burning sting that lasted for a few seconds, and then a euphoric feeling came over me." Thane hummed and looked to the sky as though trying to recall something.

"There was this being that guarded the barrier. Isabela and I spoke with him but he was not fully forthcoming in much of his answers. He said that he does not always remain at the barrier, he walks Thedas in humanoid form. He can feel when someone is approaching the barrier, and there he goes to sleep and can mentally put himself at the point where the vessel attempting to leave Thedas is located."

"This being. He allowed Isabela to leave before and allowed the two of you to leave a second time?"

"Yes. He said he knows of our plan to journey out and explore the new lands, and is allowing us a limited number of passages through the barrier until we leave for the final time."

"Did he discuss what happens to those who attempt to cross the barrier when they shouldn't? Like the mages, elves, and so on?"

"We did ask about it, even asked about Grey Wardens. He told us no Warden has ever attempted to make passage outside the barrier, so he doesn't know what effect the barrier's magic would have on them." She felt like this guardian would know the truth and this was one of those answers that wasn't forthcoming, but speaking her mind on that matter wouldn't help. "If any ancient elves were among the living, they might be able to answer that question…"

"How would they be alive?" Varric asked with a smirk. Thane spread his arms out and shrugged.

"No clue. Elves, the guardian will normally turn away, but not many have attempted to cross either. The ones that have, they've always been city elves, no Dalish will leave Thedas behind. Apparently."

"So he just turns them back?"

"Yes. The guardian has never allowed an elf passage. Magic cannot get through the barrier either, as it repels magic in general." Thane gently lifted Bianca's hand and she frowned at the anchor. "The guardian said he might be able to do something about this if you choose to come with us, so don't worry about that."

"I'll try not to." She was eager to know what could possibly be done, or if the guardian was lying. "What else? If magic can't get through, what does that mean for mages exactly?"

"I don't know." Thane scratched his forehead and his face started to tense. "I told Bethany about the trip, but insisted she not go because of this uncertain danger. She's insisting she goes, and says she knows how not to use or rely on magic, and wouldn't use it in the new lands…she doesn't want to stay here. I don't want to be responsible for another one of my relatives dying on me."

"You think the barrier would kill her?"

"Her and any Warden that tries to pass. If it doesn't kill them, it'll do something to them…As for the guardian, I don't know how to appeal to any kind nature in the guy. If I could, I'd ask if he was able to remove my sister's magic, or even the Warden's darkspawn taint. The only thing he said he'd be able to do was try and decide if something could be done about your anchor."

Bianca raised her hand and looked towards her anchor with a furrowed brow. "I…wonder why he even cares about that, then."

A rustling sound echoed nearby and Bianca dropped her hand and turned quick to see who else would be approaching. Varric started to reach for his crossbow, but a familiar voice gave him pause. "Relax," someone said, "It's only me."

A tall dark-skinned woman with two daggers on her back made her way through the brush. Bianca stared at her with skepticism and looked back to see Varric relax and Thane smile. "You guys know her?"

"That's my wife," Thane remarked with a laugh. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and she raised her hand over her mouth as Thane approached her. "Isabela, it took you long enough."

"I told you, I thought I saw someone following them." Isabela pulled a female dwarf from the bush and pushed her forward. Bianca's eyes widened as the dwarf lay sprawled out on the grass; she was wounded heavily but still breathing. "Any idea who this is?"

"That's Amelia." Bianca knelt down beside her birth mother and growled as Amelia struggled to raise her head. Isabela huffed and crossed her arms while Varric sneered at the woman. "Why were you following us?"

Amelia rolled her eyes and spoke between hoarse coughs. "You weren't on guard, I thought I could attack you and your damned father. How was I to know you were meeting up with someone?"

"You couldn't." Bianca pulled Amelia to her feet and shoved her against the trunk of a nearby tree, holding her in much the same situation that Leliana held the chantry sister that attacked them once before. "Give me one reason I shouldn't feed you to the dragon."

"It's important you not lose yourself to your anger," Thane said quietly. Amelia mocked him with a laugh and sneered at Bianca.

"You may as well," Amelia replied, "You know as well as I do that I'm not going to quit until one of us is dead." Her blood started to boil and she began to reach for the handle of her axe.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and heard her father's voice behind her. "Bianca, just leave her. Isabela's wounded her enough, but she seems able to move on her own. You don't need to do this."

"You don't know how bad she and Marcus were. You don't know the hell I went through with them. You don't know the pain they've caused me."

"No, but I understand." Varric's grip squeezed her shoulder and she looked over at him. His reassuring smile warmed her and she started to loosen her grip on Amelia. "I know it hurts to see her, and trust me, I hate them as much as you do, but if you kill this woman here…you lower yourself to their level and to your mother's level. They're beneath you. You are a better person than they could ever hope to be."

She dropped her gaze to the ground and closed her eyes, still holding Amelia in place. The woman ripped out a scathing laugh and her glare shot back to the woman. "Go ahead and kill me." Amelia smiled weakly and narrowed her eyes. "I know you want to."

Her father was right, and if she killed Amelia now, she recognized the situation as being so similar to Leliana that she would be teetering the line of hypocrisy.

"Can you run?" Bianca's tone came out in a soft whisper that was clouded by her anger. Amelia smirked back at her and shrugged.

"I suppose I can move on my own. Yes."

"Then leave." She released Amelia, pushing her forward and watching the woman stumble to regain her footing. "Get as far away from me as possible, and you know what?" Recalling Leliana's 'message' to the sister to deliver to the Chantry mother, she smirked and crossed her arms. "You can tell my 'mother', and Marcus, that the next time someone plans a sneak attack on my life or my father's life, we won't be as forgiving."

Amelia ran her hand over her neck and scoffed. Bianca reached for the handle of her axe, and the woman's eyes enlarged for a brief second before she turned and started to limp away.

The group watched for a second and Thane tilted his head to the right. "Should we tell her she's headed in the direction of that dragon?"

Bianca leaned her head back and let out a frustrated growl. "I've had enough of this." She turned and looked at her father. "When we stop Corypheus, I'm ready to take Isabela's offer and explore the new lands." A faint smile spread across Varric's face and he whispered his agreement.

"Well then. That settles it." Isabela removed her daggers and looked in the direction that Amelia was limping. The dragon started to roar and Amelia's scream echoed into the air. "Should we go help her?"

Bianca removed her axe and let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I don't want to, I didn't let her go to send her to her death, so we might as well."

"Good choice," Varric muttered, "Though I wasn't planning on fighting any dragons today. Amelia included."

* * *

As you can see, this trip is definitely not something just being mentioned. I do plan on a sequel when this story is done. Anyhow, what are your thoughts about the discussion and about the events in the end here? Do you have any thoughts about the barrier's effect on mages and wardens? Do you think the guardian would be able to do something for the anchor on Bianca's hand? Why do you suppose the guardian appears to care about that but said little in regards to anything else to Hawke? Who is the Guardian? As we see Isabela was late to the talk because of Amelia, I think it's a nice touch to see Bianca not only letting her go, but taking action to at least keep her from being killed by the dragon. What are your thoughts? Do you think she should have let Amelia go, or should the group have killed the woman on the spot?


	33. Sitting in Judgment

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 33 (Sitting in Judgement)

The throne chair of judgement; it wasn't something Bianca greatly enjoyed, and she'd done her best to ignore it all this time. Still, people were in cells waiting to tried in Skyhold's "court". Now, with the most recent addition, she had no choice but to play the judge for all that were waiting her verdict.

Upon returning with Varric, Thane, and even Isabella, all eyes had fallen on them and a hush fell over the castle walls. They were covered in the dried blood of the dragon they had fought, and Amelia was marching in front of them with her hands tied in the firmest rope they could find.

"We'll save her for last," Bianca said as she took her seat on the large chair-which resembled the throne of Kirkwall's Viscount. The guards nodded and went to retrieve the person that had been waiting for trial the longest. "God I hate this…"

She perched her elbow on the armrest and brought her knuckles to her cheek while peering with half-lidded eyes at the distant entrance to the castle. Josephine approached her, holding in her hand the list of prisoners waiting judgement.

"It's a difficult task I know," Josephine said with a gentle smile as though trying to reassure her. "But it has to be done. It's part of the role you play as leader of the inquisition."

"You said once we'd be executing people?" She didn't feel comfortable ordering someone to death. It had a different feeling than when she met blades on the field of battle. "I don't think I could do that."

"In the end it is up to you how you handle the fate of those that are brought before you." The doors opened and two guards led a large man with two rounded horns attached to a blue cloak. Bianca's eyebrow rose and she leaned upright as Josephine turned to the man. "And here is our first. Chief Movran of the Avaar. For his son's death, he stands accused of attacking our castle walls with a goat…"

She did a double take and looked at Josephine. "A goat?" It was bad enough she had to deal with the insane people in the disgusting mire that had been filled with rotting corpses rising due to what she suspected was yet another abusive act of magic; and now she had to deal with yet another annoyance lingering from that place. "You attacked Skyhold with a goat?"

"It is our custom," Movran replied, "To answer a grievance by assaulting one's hold with a goat." She closed her eyes and brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing it with her thumb and forefinger.

"Great. That's…great." She could almost hear the nobles in the room snickering under their breath, and at the same time she was trying to keep from chuckling herself. If she wasn't as stressed as she was, she would find this more amusing. "How about we just arm you and your people and send you guys to Tevinter?"

Tevinter was a place the Avaar disliked greatly, so this could benefit the both of them as whatever Movran found there could certainly aid the Inquisition in some way.

Movran laughed and made a statement about his son having been useful after all. Bianca shrugged and watched the guards lead him away.

The next person brought before her was a painful and familiar face: Magister Alexius. She cringed on the inside but remained as calm as possible while listening to Josephine read the charges against him.

_"I'm not a nobody,"_ she thought as she recalled his harsh words. She did her best to fight the urge to make this judgement personal. While one option was to execute him, she didn't want to have to go that far.

"There's been enough bloodshed as it is, and the Inquisition prevented your future from happening." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I've researched a little bit of the arcane arts, and I think your research and knowledge could benefit the Inquisition." Alexius groaned with disgust and bowed his head.

"As you wish…"

Next in tow was the former Mayor of Crestwood. His charge was flooding his village ten years ago, using the blight as an excuse. Granted he killed those infected with the blight, there was no way of knowing for sure if innocent lives were lost in the flooding.

She didn't feel like judging him, as his crime was committed on Ferelden soil during an already tragic period. "I sentence you to be judged in Ferelden courts." Surely King Alistair would want to dig into him, since the crime happened when he was actively working to end the blight.

The next person, they encountered on their travels through the Western Approach while fighting through both darkspawn and the Venatori. Crassius Servis led the Venatori expedition that caused darkspawn to come to the surface.

What was truly amusing was that Servis had also been sneaking resources from behind Corypheus's back. He then offered to work for the Inquisition, so in order to test his loyalty, she put him to work but on probation just in case he did something to screw them over.

Mistress Poulin from the small village of Sahrnia in the Emprise du Lion was carted in next. Already exhausted from judging, the anger she felt towards the woman's reckless act that ended with villagers being sold to the red Templars wasn't dominant.

"Here's what's going to happen." Bianca leaned forward, bending her elbows on her knees and tapping her fingertips together before her face. Mistress Poulin looked up with guilt-ridden eyes and pouty lips. "You're going back to Sahrnia and you're going to put your efforts into rebuilding the town. You owe them a great debt.

"Thank you, Inquisitor. Your kindness will not go ignored."

"I hope not." She dropped her hands to her knees and rolled her eyes while muttering under her breath. "First time really my input's been that complimented." Hopefully people wouldn't think she was being too nice, and that the public wouldn't start demanding more bloodshed from her. _"No executions, that's the plan here."_

Grand Duchess Florianne was brought before her, and did little more than to give a disgusted scoff. "Despite her demeanor, she recognizes your authority here," Josephine stated plaintively. Bianca shrugged and waited for Florianne to plead her part.

Though it wasn't an easy part to plead. She was guilty of attempting to assassinate the leader of half a continent. All in the name of Corypheus. "Make her work in the commons. I happen to know no matter where you are, nobility treat the common people like filth, so it only seems appropriate." She referenced what she witnessed in Orzammar so long ago, and even today, where the Casteless were treated like scum by the nobles.

"Although I honestly could use some amusement…" She pondered whether or not she could have made the woman a jester for the court. Josephine looked at her and asked if she needed a break, having heard her statement. Bianca waited for several seconds, then let out a sigh of defeat. "No, no, I need to get through this. I want to get to Amelia sooner than later."

Her anxiety was building up, along with the anger she felt towards the woman. The longer she had to deal with the prisoners she didn't want to bother with, the more antsy she became.

Thoughts of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her adoptive parents plagued her mind to no end, causing her to grow visibly angered. Her muscles tensed and she stared down the next person that the guards brought in.

It was Magister Erimond. Her teeth ground together and her nostrils flared upon remembering the tragedy at Adamant. While she wanted desperately to end his life for all that he'd done to the Wardens, she couldn't bring herself to do that. He wasn't in power to do anything more, he couldn't hurt anyone else, nor could Corypheus use him to corrupt the wardens again.

It was a situation where they were fooled once, but could not be fooled again by the same trickery.

"You are hereby sentenced to spend the rest of your days imprisoned." Erimond gawked and started to mock her, but she ignored him and signaled the guards to remove him.

Next up was Ser Ruth from the Grey Wardens, demanding judgement for her own actions. Bianca was moved by the woman's wish to take responsibility for her crimes, but she didn't feel right to judge her. She sent Ruth on her way, and hoped that perhaps the wardens would be more fit to judge her.

As she waited for the next person to be brought in, she was surprised to see Varric approaching. "Dad?" He was tense and had his hands closed to the point his knuckles were pale.

"They're bringing her in," he replied, "Finally. I thought I would oversee this." He stood beside her and put his hand on the arm of the chair. "Besides, I thought you might need me to be here for you." She relaxed a bit and flashed a smile.

"I'm glad you are."

"Too bad it's only Amelia. I'm looking forward to when we catch your mother."

"Yeah…I'm surprised you don't have the crossbow with you right now."

"Thought about it." Varric crossed his arms and smirked as the doors opened up and three silhouettes appeared. "I'd be too tempted to put an arrow in Amelia."

"I know the feeling. All this time, I was thinking about how much I would like to demand her execution, without mercy and without thought, but I know that wouldn't be right. Even for her. Even if it were my mother, it wouldn't be fair."

"I'm proud that you realize that." Everyone deserved a fair trial, no matter how vile they were. While some probably wouldn't get one, such as Corypheus, it was important to give everyone a chance. "By the way, that dragon? Let's not do that again."

"We're lucky Amelia had a good amount of her poison with her." Amelia's poison was a great benefit, since they were able to apply it to their weapons and use it to weaken the dragon considerably. Though it nearly finished all of them off, so Bianca did share her father's lack of enthusiasm for dragons.

Amelia was placed before Bianca, her glare burned into the girl and her mouth stretched into a virulent sneer. "You should have left me for the dragon, bitch." Bianca ground her teeth together and closed her hands tight. "No matter what you do, my husband will come after you. He'll come for me. He'd storm this entire place."

"He'd be met with an army."

"Or my crossbow," Varric muttered. Amelia's eyes darted to him and her expression grew smug. Varric's eyes slanted and he peered down at Amelia as though she were nothing. "What?"

"So maybe you named that bow after your daughter, Tethras, but to think that Davri made that bow and you've carried it around all these years."

"Is this your attempt to get a rise out of me?"

"No, but it's good to know that if I wanted to, I probably could." He waved her off and Bianca signaled Josephine to get on with the charges so she could sentence Amelia.

This woman she truly wished to execute, she wanted nothing more than to make her suffer in the ways she suffered for half her life. Josephine looked between sorrow and pity, and shook her head sadly. "Amelia Cadash, you are charged with conspiracy, attempted murder on the life of the Inquisitor, and of course…numerous charges…How do you plead?"

"I don't." Amelia took a small step forward, her darkening gaze fell onto Bianca. "I'm just a tool, I suppose. I only did as I was told all these years: Keep Bianca from ever reconnecting with her father, and squash any hope or dream she has of the man." Varric tensed and Bianca turned to him, watching over him in case she would have to be the one to keep him calm. "Clearly I've failed that task, numerous times. I'm sure Davri would rather see me dead, you may as well throw me to Corypheus, I'd have better luck working under him."

"Believe me I'm tempted," Bianca said with a growl.

"Go ahead." Amelia's eyes flickered like that of a snake, and her grin increased. "I'm at your mercy little Bianca. Take your revenge, or are you too weak to do even that?"

Varric started to move for Amelia, belting out a violent growl. Bianca stood and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You know what?" She took a step towards Amelia, focusing solely on her until the shocked onlookers in the room became little more than a blur-a distant memory. "I'm not weak. I'm better than you are, Amelia…"

"How so?"

"Because I'm not a cruel, vindictive, abusive bitch that seeks only what benefits me." Amelia appeared to shrink with each step Bianca took in her approach. The woman stepped back and started to avoid any eye contact. "You're right, you've only ever taken orders. All the abuse, all the hate that you've pushed onto me, it's all because of my mother. You're just a soldier, but not even strong enough to be called one. You shouldn't die for my mother, you're not good enough to die for what she's done."

Her fists closed tight and her lips pulled away into a snarl that revealed her clamped teeth in the left corner. "I'll render my judgment on you, Amelia. For _everything_ you've done. "You're to be stripped from any claims to nobility." The woman's eyes shot open and her eyebrows rose. "You're to be hereby marked casteless, and if my father allows it, banned from the merchant's guild."

"Y-You can't! I-"

"I know well enough to know the last thing you want to lose is your own power, your control over everyone and everything." To lose all the connections and ties that she had was to be the greatest punishment that Amelia could face, and in the end, it was likely to be less forgiving than what Florianne had been dealt. "But what good will they do you, when you're spending the rest of your life in prison?"

Amelia fell onto her knees and the guards reached for her upper arms. She bowed her head and began to tremble as a sob fell from her lips. "You little swine. You will pay for this."

"Keep it up," Varric replied while rolling his eyes. "Be lucky we don't petition King Aeducan to banish you to the deep roads…I couldn't put that punishment on anyone, though."

"I promise you, I will see you two destroyed whether in prison or not." The guards began dragging her off, struggling little despite Amelia's fevered attempts to break loose. "Your prisons can't hold me forever!" Bianca turned away and frowned at her father.

He took a deep breath, then embraced her, comforting her with a firm hold. Nothing more needed to be said; it was over. Or at the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about Amelia any longer.

Seeing the tears in her father's eyes brought tears to hers, though more relieved than anything. "I love you, Dad." She felt his body shift and heard a quick gasp. Bianca hugged him with equal strength and buried her head into his shoulder. "I'm glad I found you. I'm glad they couldn't prevent that."

"They couldn't keep me away." He rubbed her back and took a deep breath. "I love you too, and I'm never going to let anything happen to you again. No one's taking you from me this time, if I can help it. Not Amelia and Marcus, not Corypheus, and certainly not your mother."

"Let's just focus on Corypheus first." Isabella and Thane were waiting for them. Once they got rid of Corypheus, they could leave with the security of knowing that Davri and the others couldn't chase them. "The sooner we're done with him, the better."

* * *

What do you think of the punishment given to Amelia? Also, what do you think Marcus will do now that his wife's finally been arrested, and what does this mean for Cadash and her father? Can they truly hope to ride out the coming storm with Davri, or will she show herself once again?


	34. Morrigan's Wisdom

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: I do hope that you haven't forgotten this story because updates have slowed, come and finish it with me. Enjoy it and do let me know what you think as it goes along.

* * *

Chapter 34 (Morrigan's Wisdom)

Finally having some time to focus on the initial task at hand, Bianca found herself swept off by Morrigan to see what the woman was calling an Eluvian. At first glance it only appeared to be an old mirror with a white tablecloth on it.

Once Morrigan used her magic, the glass lit up and the mage stepped inside, leaving Bianca to follow. What came next took her breath from her lungs; it was a world of broken mirrors and pathways, and oddly shaped trees that had treetops shaped like balls.

"This place once had a name, but it's long forgotten now." Morrigan folded her arms and smiled as Bianca studied the area in awe of the strange and intoxicating wonder. "Each Eluvian connects to a different location, this place serves as a connection to each. All part of ancient magic."

"Corypheus wants this?" Everything seemed to be coming up to the ancient elves lately, as if they were responsible for everything that happens in Thedas and they were the sole answer to every question and action that shaped the continent. She found it intriguing, and somewhat annoying. "What use could it be to him?"

"I did mention that you can get almost anywhere within Thedas through these mirrors. Though, a great majority of them are broken, but there is one still intact within the Arbor Wilds. We must go there and reach the Eluvian before Corypheus does."

They spoke a little more of the Eluvian while walking the grounds, but soon business became conversation. She was happy to hear Morrigan's thoughts on many things going on, and truly pleased to hear the advice the woman had to offer her.

"I didn't know you had a son," Bianca said when they reentered Skyhold's garden. Morrigan's son was a short child of nine or ten years of age, he had light brown hair and shimmering blue eyes. The boy was speaking currently with Mother Giselle. "He must have been born around the time of the blight."

"Afterwards. He is…very important to me." Morrigan closed her hands before her abdomen and cast a tender, proud gaze onto her son. "Leliana spoke of how I saved her beloved Warden's life?"

"She did. She didn't say much aside from her owing you his life." She looked to the boy and realization struck her like lightning. "It involves your son? Don't tell me his father-"

"Yes, he is David's child." She closed her eyes and leaned her shoulder and left temple against a nearby stone pillar. "But it was not an affair. It was part of a ritual, one which I knew would bear me a child that would turn the energy of the Archdemon onto me, thereby preventing the warden for sacrificing his life in order to end the blight."

"I see. I was a little concerned at first."

"I have been told you don't seem to hold him in high regard as you do some of the others. Why is that?"

"Because he's not here." She stood up and spread her arms out while shrugging. "He's left Leliana behind. I know she's still in contact, but why isn't he here with her?"

"Sometimes those we wish to be with the most are the very reason we are not near them. David seeks to end the calling, to cure himself of the taint so he may live a full life with his love."

Suddenly she felt like an idiot for assuming David was just skipping out. It made sense that he would be doing this now, and that if he had been here, he might have ended up being pulled into the mess with the Wardens.

"Maybe you're right Morrigan, maybe it is for the better. I'm sure it would have been more than Leliana could take if he'd been caught up in all the mess the Wardens were dealing with."

"She is a strong woman, but even she has her breaking points. We all do. Whether it's Leliana, myself, or even your father. Or perhaps, even your companions….have you spoken much to them lately?"

"Yeah, we're always together." Even when she would leave Skyhold, those that went with her varied. Most of the time she travelled with Solas and Cassandra in tow, but she'd change them out from time to time. Varric always insisted on being there, and she preferred it.

"But besides Cassandra, how many have you spoken to about leaving Thedas?" She jerked her head back, astonished that Morrigan knew about that. Morrigan looked knowingly at her and pulled back the left corner of her lips. "Have you not seen the way they look at you, the way they look at your father? They're trying to understand, to know if it is because of them that you wish to leave."

"No, it's not like that at all. How-"

"The walls have ears, and people do talk. You and Varric haven't been secretive about your plan. Not to mention, I did receive an invitation to go along." As they walked the garden, Morrigan moved her hands behind her back and looked up towards the sky. "We are quickly closing in on Corypheus. You and your father wish to leave Thedas behind once you are through with them, and you have spent so little time with your friends…to face Corypheus and rush off."

"I just wanted to be rid of him as quickly as possible. I never meant to ignore them. I'm always out with Cole and Sera, but that's because I feel closer to them."

"They are closer to you in age, so that is understandable. Have you spoken to them about this journey that is being planned?"

"No…I didn't mean to leave them out or anything." She wasn't used to companionship, that was all, so she wasn't sure how to tell any of them about the plan to leave. "I wasn't going to not talk to them about it, and I didn't mean to avoid any of them."

"I know. Maybe the hardest part for you is you've made friends, perhaps for the first time in your life, and already you're ready to leave on a new adventure that some of them won't be able to go on. Am I correct? I understood the invitation, I understand that mages may not be able to get past this 'ancient barrier'." She bowed her head and gently ran her hand over her neck, sighing with uncertainty.

"I'm not saying don't go, because you and your father deserve to spend your life getting to know each other, not trying to survive one chaos after another."

"I've never been one for goodbyes, I know that. I want Sera to come with us, but I don't know how she'd be treated in this new land. I want Cole too, but I don't know if he can even leave Thedas or not."

"He may be able to. He is but a spirit that now grows more and more human with each passing day."

"Yeah…I want Cassandra to come along also, but she and Leliana both have this thing to work out with the Divine. Cassandra also wants to work to rebuild the Seekers."

Bianca was also thinking about placing Cassandra in charge of the Inquisition. There were a few possibilities. Cullen's new girlfriend, Trina Trevelyan came the closest to leadership that Bianca was seeing.

"Besides Cassandra, I've been thinking about who I want to name the next Inquisitor. There are a few potentials, but I need to get to know them…" She tapped her chin and paced a bit to the right. "Jade, she's a Dalish elf we met recently. But she hasn't shown any interest in taking on the role, and Sera's kind of starting to take a liking to her…so if I could take Sera, if she could get past the barrier, Jade might want to come with us."

"Okay. Who else?"

"The Trevelyan siblings. Trina and Leon, both of them have taken leadership roles back where they come from." Morrigan chuckled softly, but remained silent as Bianca continued to ponder the choices. "Trina is kindhearted, has a solid conscience and is strong-minded, as is her brother, so both of them are high on my list."

"I see. They may then be able listen to their heart and conscience as you do, and perhaps they would be a good fit for structure. Cassandra seems a good choice, but she may have her hands full with what roles she must fill now."

"Yeah, that's a good point."

"Is there anybody else you have considered thus far?"

"There's this Qunari, who has actually led her own group much like Bull has. Megan. She's smart, she's got a great head on her shoulders as well…I think she would be a solid and strong leader."

At the end of the day, she couldn't tell whether or not the Inquisition would be needed once Corypheus was done. The Inquisition was started to help create order during a time of chaos; and since the mages and Templars quashed their war, there was no more fighting.

"As for my friends? I don't know. Any one of them could lead, if their heart was in it…but I mean, my heart wasn't in it at first. I'll be honest." Morrigan's eyebrow rose and a curious hum escaped her lips. Bianca's eyes darted over and her shoulders rose sharply. "I joined the Inquisition because I was at the conclave, because I thought my dad was going to be here. When I found out he was, I wanted to be close to him-that was all I cared about. I stayed, I didn't run, because I wanted to be with my father and nothing else."

"And now?"

"I still just want to be with my dad." She dropped her hands and blew out heavily. "But I acknowledge the danger there is now with Corypheus, that's why I know I have to stop him before we leave Thedas. I'm not leaving Thedas behind with that madman on the loose…but once he's gone, that's the end of it."

"I understand."

"Is it bad that I feel that way, though?" She frowned and looked out at the people in the garden. Her gaze softened and she felt a tremor in her heart. "I don't want it to seem like I don't care."

She felt Morrigan's gentle hand on her shoulder and looked back at the woman's pride-filled eyes. "That you would even think of them shows that you do care, I think. Still, you are in your full right to do and be where you are happiest." Morrigan's head tilted to the right and her warm smile soothed the trembling in Bianca.

"When we found you in the deep roads, there was a fear to you that remained long after we took you to safety. There was a sorrow that never left you, even when home again. What I understand, that sorrow never left until you were connected with your true father. You have the chance to finally make a life for yourself, to be happy, and so does he. You were thrust into something you say you did not want, though you may be the best thing for Thedas right now, that doesn't mean you will always be the best thing for this country. Heroes come and go, but they are always remembered. Certainly, you must realize this."

"I do."

"Then if you want to go be with your father, and you want to explore this new land that his friends have discovered, you should. You should do what your heart says to be happy. Once Corypheus is long gone, would you still be happy sitting on the Inquisition throne, trying to solve every small and large problem that comes the way of Thedas?"

She chuckled nervously and her cheeks started to burn. "Not really." She hated admitting it, but the second those words left her mouth, they took a large weight with them. "I've never liked being the center of attention before. I hate all the politics and mess, and while I feel a duty to get rid of Corypheus…I just don't want to stay here any longer than that."

"An unhappy ruler makes a terrible leader, would you agree?"

"So do what makes me happy?" Bianca raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "That's not selfish at all?" Morrigan laughed.

"Bianca. Since you've stepped up to lead the Inquisition, all your efforts have been for the best of Thedas. While there exists a selfishness in all of us, there is a difference between being selfish and being happy." She unfolded her arms and looked down at the grass around her feet.

She didn't know if it was selfishness or a desire to be happy, but she was well aware of what Morrigan was saying and how true to word it was. She wouldn't be happy taking such a big responsibility on as leading the Inquisition for years to come, not when she never had the chance to enjoy her life.

_"I'd make a horrible leader afterwards. I just know I would."_

The resentment towards Thedas could nearly be felt, though she had little of it. It could grow, and she could come to blame Thedas as well as the Inquisition for her never being able to live once she finally escaped the clutches of both the Cadash family and the Carta.

Morrigan's hand curled beneath her chin and Bianca let the woman tilt her head up towards her. "Bianca, there are times the two cross paths, and there are times when it is difficult to discern between them, an individual must realize that in order to do best in everything you do, you must place yourself first." Her voice was soft and endearing, and there was a mother-like quality that slightly resembled Leliana's. She smiled gently and her eyebrows started to curl together.

"You have to be happy, if you want anyone else to be. You have to be strong if you want others to be. Do you understand? To every person, to every individual no matter how great or small, they must always place themselves first before they can aid anyone else."

"I suppose."

"Besides. You are young, fragile and already you've seen far too much the evils that lay in the hearts of mankind." Morrigan took a deep breath and stood upright while gesturing with her head to the garden. "Go. Be with your friends, be with your father. Choose a leader you think will be able to aid Thedas the best once Corypheus is dealt with, and once that's done, you will be able to leave with your father onto a new journey in a new land. Thedas will be fine no matter what you do, I am certain of it."

"Thank you, Morrigan."

* * *

What do you think, do you agree with Morrigan? Do you think that if she stayed ruling the Inquisition afterwards, that she would come to resent the place? Also, how do you feel the rest of the companions are thinking with her desire to leave Thedas. We know Varric is also leaving something behind, as is Hawke, but all three of them will have to put faith and trust in whatever successor they select. Once they leave on this new journey, they may never be able to return, and that is the price to be paid. I want all of you to know that I appreciate your input, by the way, and I hope that once this tale ends you'll read its sequel...because where this story ends a new one begins. That is, however, up to you if you would enjoy seeing it done.


	35. Friends to go the Distance

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 35 (Friends to go the Distance)

Bianca walked quietly up the tavern stairs to where Cole was, listening to Sera's frustrated tone. She met the elf halfway down and started to say something, but Sera met her with a cold sneer that warned Bianca to leave her be for now. "I guess I'll see what that was all about when I talk to Cole…"

Cole was waiting at the top of the stairs, and spoke before she could get a word out. "She still doesn't like when I say things that creep her out, but I think she's warming up to me."

"She looked pretty upset just then." She smirked and Cole slouched. He sauntered back to his corner, seemingly defeated. It hurt to see him depressed, and she knew Sera was probably just blowing off steam yet again, and it had more to do with her than it did him. "Cole, I'm sure it personal. It's not you."

"I don't understand. If not me, then what is it?"

"You go deep. Do you remember when I asked you a long time ago not to try and 'fix' what was going on with me? What was going on with my father?" Cole sat on the corner post of the railing and nodded.

"Yes, and I didn't. I try not to pry because you asked me not to, and because Varric isn't comfortable with me going into his mind either."

"We have our reasons, Cole. You go deep into the minds and hearts of people." She sat beside him and hooked her feet around the bars of the railing. "You see how people feel about things, and for some people, when you talk about their feelings in a certain way…you trigger things. Memories that they push down because they don't want to remember, memories they may not want other people knowing about. Do you understand?"

"Like you, and how you don't want people to know what the Carta did to you?" She flinched and shut her eyes, breathing in slow. Cole frowned and bowed his head. "Sorry."

"Yes. Still, knowing that, you can think of ways to make people feel better. By being their friend, by being with them, saying things that help them to move on."

"Do I help?"

"Yes. You and Sera both." Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Sera standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her back was turned to the steps and her arms were crossed, but she could sense the girl was listening. A smile grew on her face and she looked up at Cole. "The two of you are my closest friends here, along with Cassandra, and spending time with you has really helped me. Being with my father has really helped too."

"Varric is happy. Happier than he has been for a very long time." Cole swept his feet through the air, and swayed back. "He knows his daughter loves him and he loves her very much, he's proud of the person she's becoming and can't wait to be there as she grows."

She grinned with delight and let escape a happy chuckle. "I'm glad. I know he hurts when he sees Marcus and Amelia, or when he sees my mother, so things like that you don't have to talk about. Sometimes it's easy to know these things when you care about somebody."

"Sometimes I feel something from someone, and I have to share it. I feel like if I don't let it out, no one will help that person." Cole looked up to the sky and an intense sorrow came over him. "Like the sad man that feels like he can only be alone."

Bianca furrowed her brow and leaned back, unable to think of who that could be. "And what does that lonely man feel, Cole?"

"He…" Cole hesitated and turned his head towards her, gazing in her eyes. "There are two candles he bears. In his heart he has two flames." She hummed, growing more curious the deeper she thought. Mentally, she wasn't able to picture who this was, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Two flames burn hot in a heart hung by guilt. One flame he feels he has snuffed out, and the other flame has opened his eyes. He is unworthy to hold either, and he knows it."

"I see, but Cole, you know that person may find his solace somewhere, some day. You just have to trust that things might work out one day."

"I know. It's hard to let go sometimes, but I will try." Silence fell over them like a shroud, leaving Bianca with her thoughts. Cole's words were cryptic, and the way he looked at her, it seemed he was speaking about someone she knew. The only one she could think of was Lantos, but the thought that he'd be the person was slightly unnerving.

After a while Cole hopped off the railing and moved towards his usual corner of the room. "You know Bianca, Varric would probably force open the fade if he lost you again."

She pushed off the rail and chuckled. "I don't have my doubts." Her dad was protective, and he had clear reason to be. "That reminds me, the reason I came up here. I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"Well…" She turned her head, calling down to Sera. "You too Sera. I wanted talk to both of you." She crossed her arms and smirked when she heard Sera begin muttering.

"Do I have to come up there where Cole is?"

"Oh come off it Sera, you know as well as I do you like him. You're just sore because he can see how you feel about stuff."

"Ugh." The sound of feet stomping against wood gave her an urge to laugh, but she swallowed it down lest she incur more anger from Sera.

Sera stepped before them, tense and angrier than she'd seen for quite some time. The girl's glare burned with great fire, and for a moment Bianca could have sworn she heard the elf's teeth grinding behind clenched lips.

"Sera, what's worng?"

"What's wrong?" Sera grabbed her hair and raised her voice. "What's wrong? You know what's wrong." Bianca glanced at Cole, who merely looked away. "You're leaving, that's what's wrong. You're leaving, and I'm not going to have anyone to do anything with besides this guy that can sense everything I feel."

"Sera, I-"

"And don't say I'm being overdramatic." Sera turned her back to her and crossed her arms. Her angry huff seemed to bounce off the walls, shaking the very room.

"Morrigan was right," Bianca whispered to herself. While she didn't doubt the woman, this was the first time she was seeing just how her friends felt about the planned journey-aside from Cassandra. She walked over and started to place a hand on Sera's shoulder.

"Don't touch me. I don't want to be touched."

"Sera, I want you to come with us." Sera's shoulders rose and her body froze in place. Cole raised his head up and Bianca looked over her shoulder to him. "Both of you." Her voice started to shake, causing her a deal of embarrassment as she grew flustered in a fevered attempt to quell the nervous emotion. "Look. You two are my best friends, and I've never had friends close enough to call that…"

Sera's head turned sideways and bowed. "You mean it?" There was a streak that ran like a river down the side of Sera's face, shimmering in the light of the tavern. "I thought you just cared about being with your dad, and didn't care about any of us."

She exhaled and walked to the front of her friend. "No." Her forehead creased and she put her hands on Sera's shoulders while looking into her eyes. "It's not like that at all, Sera. We're just a little concerned about getting past the barrier, but I couldn't leave you guys behind."

Cole walked over, peering out from underneath the dipped hat on his head. "You would miss us. We would miss you too. You're concerned about something, though." She pulled her hands away with a sigh and nodded.

"I am. About a lot. I wish I could ask everyone to come with me, but I know some aren't going to be able to go. Vivienne, for instance, mages are unable to get across that barrier…or at least, magic can't get through."

Sera's face scrunched and her nose wiggled a bit. "What concerns you about us?" The girl narrowed her eyes and pointed to the tip of her ear protruding from beneath her hair. "Is it my ears? I've heard talk about this new land not having elves. What? Are you afraid I'll be spit on in this new land because I'm an elf? Please, I can hide these things if I have to!"

"It's not wholly that." She paced to the right and wrung her hands together. "I just-everyone has ties to something here. I mean, my dad's going to leave Kirkwall behind for this journey. He was going to try and help the reconstruction efforts somehow, but he's decided that he wants to take this trip…"

"Okay."

"Thane isn't going back there, of course. He's coming with us." She stepped in front of the railing and grasped it gently with her hands. Sera and Cole walked up behind her, both peering down at the floor below. Bianca listened to the bard, taking the moment to breathe and listen to the music.

Cole whispered something and Bianca felt him nudge Sera. The girl leaned over the railing on her right and folded her arms on top of it. "You're worried about Red Jenny," Sera muttered, "You don't want to force me away from the group?"

She closed her eyes and started rubbing her neck, sighing heavily. "I'm not used to having people I can count on, people I can trust or call my friends." Her eyes filled with moisture and she turned around. "I'm not used to people making changes in their lives, in their schedule, or even worrying about me."

Asking Sera to leave Red Jenny behind was the hardest thing for her to do, and she didn't want to do it without considering that her new best friend may not want to break that connection.

Bianca put her hand to her chest and spoke with a shuttering breath. "I'm used to worrying about myself, shouldering everything on my own because nobody else will." Sera and Cole exchanged glances and flashed sorrowful smiles towards her. "I'm terrified to go to this new land. I don't know what to expect, and I know I'm probably going to be the only person on that boat my own age, with my own interests, and I don't want that to be the case…but I'm not going to ask you to leave Red Jenny behind if you don't want to. I'm not going to make you do that."

"If I do, it's my choice, Bianca. You know that."

"I don't want you to resent me for it."

"Why would I?" Sera hugged her, catching her off guard. The girl's voice grew quiet and Sera gently rubbed her back. "You're my closest friend too, Bianca. I don't want to lose you. As important as Red Jenny is to me, they'll survive-I know they'll be just fine regardless of where I am or what I'm doing, I have more important things to take care of."

"Really?"

"Really." Sera laughed and wiped away one of her own tears. "If you want me to go with you to this new place, I will. If I have to cut off the tips of my ears to go, I would." Cole's eyes grew wide and Bianca threw her hand over her mouth gasping into it.

"Don't go into extremes, Sera. Whatever you do."

"Just saying. I'd be happy to go and be there for support, and if that means leaving Red Jenny behind, so be it. I will; and for I won't regret it."

"I want to come too," Cole said abruptly. Bianca smiled and Sera dropped her hands to her hips. "Do you think I can get through that barrier, Bianca?"

"Good question." She hadn't thought about it. It was possible the barrier wouldn't let him through because he was a spirit taking over a body, but he was becoming more human and might be allowed through. "Solas seemed to know a bit about the barrier, so I could ask, but I don't know if he'll have the answer either."

"I hope I'd be able to cross it."

"I hope so too."

Sera looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes. "Yeah." She snorted and looked away while crossing her arms. "So do I." Cole grinned and Bianca stifled a laugh. "So someone better find out if Cole can get across safely as well."

* * *

Hey tell me what you think, I'm glad you're enjoying the tale thus far. So, do you think Sera and Cole might make good traveling companions, and will the guardian let them by? Also, who do you think the guardian of that barrier might be? He is someone you know, though his identity won't directly be revealed. Also, there are three "Big Bad" that remain, will they put up a fight? Count on it. Also, any thoughts on that last bit of cryptic statement from Cole?


	36. Father's Gift

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: This chapter while leading up to the important end, is inspired off this hidden quest that I just found out about…called "the tiniest cave" in which in the end you get an ardent blossom helmet-crown thing.

* * *

Chapter 36 (Father's Gift)

Varric shifted his hand to the grip of his bow and his dagger-like glare shot onto Solas. "Call me 'Child of the Stone' again, I dare you. Chuckles." Solas laughed while the group with them shook their heads.

"You're the one pounding a rock in the middle of the Graves."

"It's a tale told to me once, I'm getting my daughter a gift." The tale was simple; to jump on a stone in the middle of the Emerald Graves that had a small opening surrounded by crystal grace flowers, and the one that should wake whoever was inside would be tasked to find a hidden cave in the Du Lion where they would be rewarded with what was a crown of hardened crystal grace flowers. "I was told this was a short and simple quest to getting a helmet made of crystal grace. Bianca loves crystal grace, and the helmet is said to be powerful, so there you have it."

Solas tapped his chin and his eyebrow pushed high on his forehead. "Might I ask where you heard this tale?" Varric stopped to second guess himself, but only for a moment.

"The Hanged Man."

"A tavern. You heard this tale in a tavern." Hearing how it sounded, Varric groaned and struck the stone once more with his foot. "A drunkard told you to bring crystal grace to a man in a tiny cave that would send you to another cave? Is that right?"

"Shut up."

"I think it's nice," replied the lady Trevelyan. Varric looked at Trina with a smile and thanked her while Solas rolled his eyes. "Even if it leads nowhere, it's the thought that counts."

"Hah, hah, hah." Varric glared at the tiny flowers beside the small hole in the stone and sat down, defeated. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I did hear a fishy tale from a drunk-"

"Need more!" A voice echoed from behind. Varric fell off the rock with a scream while Solas and Trina gave slack-jawed glances at it. "More. Have to be ready!" Thane peered up from the log he'd been sitting on in wait and placed his hand on his sword.

Varric tumbled away from the rock and aimed his crossbow at it just in case a demon popped out. "The stairs that go down," said the voice, "That go way, way down. I'll be there, you'll be there…" There was a slight growl in the voice, but nothing more. Varric turned his head while Solas and Lady Trevelyan exchanged confused looks.

He thought it was here that contact was to be made, but now that he heard the line, it wasn't hard to distinguish what was meant. "Right, what the guy said was the creature or person was in the cave at Du Lion. The cave's supposed to be hidden by a bunch of snow and it's just under the keep."

"That's good," Solas said with a wry chuckle. "I thought you were against following strange voices, Varric."

"If I wasn't so confident about this, then I wouldn't." Whatever it was, was due to magic. There was no other explanation. Or according to the story given to him, it was created by a dwarf that had a lyrium vein enabling live flowers to prosper. He wasn't sure what version of the story was true, whether it was a crown of hardened flowers or a tiara of live flowers feeding off some vein of lyrium

It wasn't too long before they'd reached the Emprise and traveled through the cave behind the quarry. They were exhausted from trudging through the heavy snow, and more so from searching the walls.

Eventually they came upon a veilfire basket that Solas was able to light up, and with that, they could make out a clear entrance behind an icy wall next to them. Varric took a deep breath and touched the fire to the wall, flinching when a burst of magic rushed over it like a piece of metal flashing in the sunlight.

"So what is the occasion?" Trina asked while watching the icy wall melt away. Varric peered ahead into the darkness and extended the torch of fire forward, lighting up a tunnel of stairs going down.

"We're nearing the time of year that Bianca was born." He stepped forward and flinched as the tunnels lit up with a bright ember glow. He turned his head and saw a circle of magic around Solas's hand. With a sigh, he shook his head and turned away. "My ex, if I could call her that, and the Cadash assholes have kept her from me for twenty damn years…that journey we're going on, this gift that I'm getting for her now, and everything I'm doing? Even willing to leave Kirkwall...all of it's for her. I want to make up for those years I wasn't there."

"I think you're already doing that," Thane replied. Trina nodded her head and Solas kept quiet while focusing on the path they were heading on. It was a winding path of steps, and their legs were already weary from walking as it were. "This trip to the new land. Is it just to get away from magic, Varric?"

"Not just that." They stopped on a tiny square room between the stairs and he turned to the others. "Thedas is a nightmare for a lot of people, and for many, they view Thedas not as a continent on its but the world. They're too fearful to expand their horizons and venture out, and I want Bianca to be able to see the world while seeing it with her."

"That sounds admirable," Solas stated. "A noble reason, to venture out and seek new things. Magic, darkspawn, demons…that's still a part of your reason, isn't it?"

"Yes, but a small part in truth." He bowed his head and closed his hands. "There's no inch of Thedas where she isn't terrified. I've seen that on our travels, everywhere she steps there's some bad memory…whether to do with the Carta, with Marcus and Amelia, or whomever…Thedas is one big nightmare to her, and I want to take her from that. To free her from the nightmare she's been living in for the past twenty years of her life."

"Sounds fair." Solas flashed a smile and an exhale fell from his lips. "I'm sure you two might find the outside world interesting. Even in my dreams of the fade, I have never seen the lands outside of Thedas."

Thane crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby wall. "Let's hope the guardian of the barrier is just as understanding of your reasoning, Varric." The smile on Solas's face faded and Varric shrugged before continuing down the steps.

"Come on," he said, "I want to see what's at the bottom." Solas could be right in that the Ardent Blossom might be a fable made up by some drunk fool at the tavern, but he had to find out. Thus far the story had been accurate.

"Dawnstone and Crystal Grace." Trina hummed contemplatively and Varric turned to her. "She doesn't strike me as the overly feminine type, but to think that those are her two favorite things-flower and gem-wise, it really does show her feminine side. It's nice."

"Yeah."

"Varric," Solas began, "I've been thinking and I wanted to say. I'm sorry you never got the opportunity to watch your daughter grow." A dull ache struck his chest and he stopped moving to give Solas his attention. "I hope that no matter where life takes you and your child, that the two of you will find the happiness that you seek."

He smiled faintly as Thane and Trina looked to Solas with pride. "Thanks Solas."

"It is an honor to have known you, 'Child of Stone'." He rolled his eyes and smirked.

"I'll let you have that one." He cleared his throat and uttered another sly response under his breath. "Chuckles."

At the bottom of the stairway that seemed to go on forever was a breathtaking and chilling sight—a single flat cliff in the darkness that was lit up only by torches on either side of the entrance. The platform was attached only to the wall of the stairway they left.

"My god." Varric's breath shook as he took small, anxious steps forward. He could see across the endless abyss enough to see an odd streak of sunlight striking a distant wall. "Where's that sunlight coming from?"

Solas looked to the ceiling with a discreet hum. "I am not certain, I can see no holes that would allow it."

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate caves?"

"So many times that it's become engrained in my memory."

"Well, I'll say it one more time."

Solas folded his arms and laughed. "The things you will do for your daughter, am I correct?" Varric glanced to the edge of the cave and his eyes stopped on a small treasure chest. He took a deep breath and started to approach, stopping only when he heard that familiar voice echo in the air.

"Take it, take it and use it! Take it." The voice ended with giddy laughter and Varric felt a sudden chill down his spine.

He knelt before the chest and leaned away while slowly lifting the lid. Inside was a stunning tiara of flowers embedded into a blue lyrium vein. "Yep." He reached in, picking up the crown with care as though it were fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch. "It's dwarven-made."

"It must be a relief for you to see it as Dwarven and not magic."

"Believe me, Solas. It is. No offense."

"None taken." Solas took the crown of flowers and raised it up, inspecting it with a squinted gaze. "Real crystal grace. Firm base. I hardly see how it is considered a helmet rather than a ceremonial piece of some sort."

Thane scratched his beard and cocked the corner of his mouth into a smirk. "Well it took twenty years to have a daughter that he could look at as 'daddy's little princess', now she's got a crown." Varric's face turned red like a tomato and he swiped the crown away from Solas.

"Shut it. Let's get back. With luck, we can reach Skyhold by the end of the meeting Bianca's holding tonight."

"Oh yeah." Bianca was holding a meeting with several candidates she was considering as her successor; Trina was to be one but she was the only person Varric could get at short notice to join their journey.

As they made their way back to the surface, Varric began to feel a strange feeling overcome him; it was as though they were being watched or followed. It wasn't the first time he felt this way either. Ever since leaving Skyhold, it felt like someone was breathing down his neck, but remaining clear out of sight.

The sense of danger was greater now than it had been before, and that concerned him. "Be on your guard," he said as they started to leave the cave's ground entrance. "I have a feeling we're about to be attacked."

"You too?" Solas inquired. "I've been feeling like there was someone in the shadows since Skyhold, but I was not wanting to alarm you in case I was wrong."

"Someone stalking us from the shadows…" His heart flickered and a twisted snarl grew on his face. "I have a feeling I know-Lantos!" He grabbed his crossbow and raised his voice. "Come out now you coward."

Just then, the metal of his weapon grew hot to the touch. His eyes widened and he dropped the burning metal with a painful scream. Solas grabbed his staff and extended his hand. "Magic. I don't think Lantos is the one we should be worried about right now."

Varric dropped to his knees and grabbed his wrist, growling as the burning sensation pulsed through his throbbing hand. When he looked up he could see four or five mages approaching from the winding tunnel that led them here.

It was the only way back to the quarry. "Looks like our exit's closed," Thane said while drawing his sword. Trina drew her sword as well and stepped in front of Varric.

"Don't worry Varric, we'll get you out of here."

"That won't be necessary," Said a voice that was different from the one they'd been following. His heart sank and he started growling as Marcus Cadash made his way through the mages. His wrists were locked behind his back and he was peering down his nose at Varric. "You have something I want, Tethras."

"You're not getting Bianca." Marcus moved his right hand in front of him and looked down as he flicked his thumbnail on his fingers.

"No, no." Varric pushed himself to his feet and turned his eyes towards his crossbow. It was still hot, but in the snow, the bow would cool down shortly. "You have my wife in your Skyhold prison. I want her back, and I propose an exchange."

His blood began to boil, and Marcus's calm demeanor only furthered his anger. "What exchange? You have nothing I want, unless you've already taken my daughter."

"I couldn't care less about your daughter, Varric." Marcus raised his head and flashed a snarky grin. Shadows fell under the man's eyes, and his hands closed into tight fists. "But if given the chance, I will enjoy seeing you watch her die."

"The only one dying here is you!" He lunged forward against his better judgment and ignoring both Solas and Thane calling out to him. Pain slashed through his right leg and he dropped his eyes in time to see a spike trap getting ready to detonate. "No!"

Varric threw his arms in front of his face and screamed as fire exploded around him. His body jerked back and rolled into the jagged rocks nearby. He opened his eyes with a groan and looked out at Solas and Thane.

Several elemental mines were hidden around them. Solas rushed forward, caught in the moment and stepping in the wrong place. Another explosion of fire, ice and lightning was set off, and the two men were thrown against the mountain.

"Tsk. Tsk." Marcus shook his head and walked forward. "You thought you were the only artificer, Varric? The only trap maker and smith? Come on Tethras." Varric struggled to push himself up, but he felt as though a ton of bricks had been dumped onto him. "Now I'm sure you must be wondering what other tricks I possibly have up my sleeves right now…"

"I'll kill you." He sucked the cold air through the slits between his teeth and started to reach across the snow for his crossbow. Marcus's foot moved down onto his wrist and he began to apply pressure. Varric gasped out and clamped his fist shut. "Damn you!"

"What was it you said, Tethras? I didn't have anything to offer for a trade?" Marcus snapped his fingers and the mages, as though on cue, erected a barrier that cut all of them off from Trina. Trina let out a mighty yell and tried to slash the barrier, but it was in vain. "Trevelyan, I presume?"

"Let them go," Trina exclaimed. Marcus rolled his head to the side.

"No."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to return to Skyhold. How else am I going to get word out?" Marcus glared down at Varric and pushed down with greater force on his wrist. Varric's arm was beginning to go numb, and a cold sweat had overtaken him. "Tell his beloved daughter that if she wants to see daddy dearest alive, to bring Amelia to the Sahrnia quarry. If not, _my_ gift to her will be his head on a pike."

"You asshole."

"Time's wasting, Trevelyan, and I'm getting bored." Marcus removed his foot from Varric and approached the unconscious men nearby. He put his foot onto Solas's neck and the elf's body began to twitch. "You don't want me getting bored."

"Shit." Varric rolled onto his back and shouted into the air. "Just go, Trina. Hurry the hell up before he tortures us to death." He was going to find some way out of this if he could, but for now, he was just going to have to last long enough to plan an escape.

* * *

Someone say something. What are your thoughts right now? Marcus has Varric, Solas, and Hake in his grasp and he wants Bianca to bring Amelia to make an exchange. Do you think he's going to exchange Varric for Amelia, or is this just a trap?


	37. Potential Successor Avenging Challenge

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 37 (Potential Successor, and an Avenging Challenge)

Bianca stood among those she sought to succeed her as the leader of the inquisition once she was gone, but was shocked when she only saw one of the Trevelyan siblings sitting at one of the square tables. "Leon. Where is your sister?"

"Varric asked her to join his group on some journey," he replied. She raised an eyebrow and looked to the door. "I think they were trying to find something for you, and wanted a full party of four, but everyone else was busy."

"Oh." They could make do without Trina then, this was just the meeting that she wanted to tell them what she was looking for in a successor. She needed someone that had a good head on their shoulders, someone that was strong under pressure and able to use their judgment and conscience to guide them down the right path. "Well, I'll just talk to her later, then…"

Present also at the table were Jade Lavellan, Megan Adaar, and a few of her companions that were there for a show of support. It was a shame that Trina was not present, since Bianca had been leaning towards the girl so far. Dependability was important, but so was considering the needs of others. If Varric asked her to join on some expedition, he wouldn't do so without cause, so she would let that slide.

"So let's get this underway. As some of you know, dad and I will be leaving on journey once we've defeated Corypheus, and the Inquisition will still stand. Someone needs to lead it, and that's why I've gathered you." She locked her wrists behind her back and paced to the right.

"I need to see who I feel will be the best fit to lead the Inquisition. Someone with the heart, the conscience, the intelligence and skill…Someone with the drive and determination."

Leon spoke up in favor of his sister, much to her surprise. "Trina, when she gets passionate about something, she is all in. I've seen her lead soldiers back home, you know."

"I'll consider it, but I still would like to speak with her first…"

"You may get that opportunity," she heard Cole utter as though his words were to evaporate in the wind. Bianca and the others turned to him, curious what he meant. He was seated on the edge of a nearby table, his hands clutched his knees like bowls around them and he was swaying back and forth.

"I must hurry, I have to hurry before it's too late." Cole gasped out and spoke once more with great fervor. "Terrified, panic like nothing before, have to stop and catch my breath-but no-I mustn't stop. Any minute lost is a minute too late. I must remain calm, I must keep strong."

"Cole? Cole, calm down and explain."

The door flew open and Trina burst in, her eyes were wide and frantic and body trembled with rushed pants. "Bianca. Your dad. There's no time." She felt her heart stop and turned quick, pleading with her eyes for Trina to explain. "Sahrnia Quarry. He's there, with Solas and Hawke."

Trina straightened her posture and breathed in deep. "We need a plan." The woman's eyes darted over and onto Bianca. "Your father's in danger, so are Solas and Hawke. They've been abducted. By Marcus Cadash." A frightful silence came over the group, and she could feel her body growing numb from paralysis. "He…He has demands, Inquisitor."

She shook herself and stepped forward, glaring into Trina's eyes and flaring her nostrils. "What _kind_ of demands?" Trina turned sideways and looked out the door. In the distance was the door to Skyhold's prison, where deep inside, Amelia Cadash lay sleeping.

"He wants his wife, and is proposing an exchange. Your father…for Amelia." Her blood started to boil, and in an instant she regretted letting her foster mother live. Trina locked her hands behind her back and moved forward, staring at the others with sharp eyes. "I feel like it's a trap, I feel like he's planning something…it's only through trickery and cunning that he even managed to catch the others off guard."

Leon rose first, speaking above his sister. "What do we do, then?" Bianca wanted to know as well. A deep hatred was simmering inside of her and she felt as though she wouldn't be able to map out a plan without turning her focus to rage.

"We get my father back." She raised a hand and narrowed her eyes. "By any means necessary."

"It won't be easy." Trina swept her fingers across her forehead and shut her eyes. "He has several mages with him."

"He's a coward who can't fight on his own!"

Trina raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "He managed to subdue your father, Solas, and Hawke. In a matter of minutes, just by using their emotions against them. I don't think he's one to be underestimated."

She wanted to shout back, but Trina was right. Marcus was smart, he was cunning, and he was resourceful. "Fine. What can we do?" Bianca growled low and began to pace the floor. "Marcus wants Amelia? Let's give him Amelia." There were murmurs that questioned her statement, reasoning that it was perhaps not the best idea.

"He has your father," Jade said while raising her hand up. Bianca crossed her arms. "He's got the upper hand. If we just give him what he wants…what's stopping him from killing Varric on the spot the moment Amelia is at his side?"

"That, and what's stopping him from arming her?" Megan asked. "The minute she's armed, she's going to lash out at you and whomever else she can. We can't forget they're basically hired assassins. At the end of the day."

Once again they were correct and she was wrong; simply abiding by Marcus's demand without any other plan would leave them vulnerable. Her emotions were getting in the way of her judgment, and she couldn't afford to lose her father because of it.

"Okay." She looked at Trina and extended her hand. "Your judgment might be better. What do you say we do?"

"Plan an ambush he doesn't see coming." Trina raised her hand to her chin and bowed her head. Her eyes slanted with contemplation and her lips curled back into her cheeks. "He's got the upper hand, he thinks he's in the power, and he's counting on you to be emotional. He knows you, he knows you would give him what he wants if it meant saving your father's life. So let's make him think you're doing that."

"Slip him a knife in the dark?" She smirked with pride and raised her eyebrows. "l like it. Give him a false sense of security, work his ego against him."

"Right. I think Scout can lead some of Leliana's spies to hide around the area, so Marcus won't see them waiting. If you're patient, we can dismantle whatever trap he's got planned, and you can strike."

"I like what I'm hearing…tell me more."

It was some time before they reached the quarry. Bianca went not alone, but with Amelia at her side. The woman's wrists were bound and her bowed head was covered by a cloak. A rope extended from her wrists and was leashed firmly in Bianca's grip.

"How kind of you to do this," Amelia muttered with a sneer, "And without your weapon. You must really care for that old man." Bianca rolled her eyes and attempted to ignore her the best she could. "You know he's just a weak, pathetic excuse for a dwarf? A Carta reject, a disgrace to the Merchant's Guild. Even your mother says the man she sleeps with now is a better fuck than Tethras ever was."

Bianca took a deep, shaky breath and glared at Amelia through the corners of her eyes. "And you're still nothing but a tool, which you admit to being, with so little sense of individualism that you rely on Davri. The minute she stops feeding you, you're nothing but a small baby that hasn't been weaned yet."

"Oh nicely said, where did you learn that one?"

"I've been spending some time with Vivienne."

They reached the end of the Quarry, where she had faced off the last of the Red Templar lieutenants so long ago. At the opening of a long tunnel was a cage that held Solas and Thane.

Standing atop the cage was Varric. His wrists were tied before his waist and his ankles bound so tight that it seemed the rope was cutting into his ankles. What frightened her more was the noose around his neck, tied to the wooden beam several feet above him. "Dad!" She rushed forward, stopping only when she felt something firm and stiff sinking within the snow beneath her feet.

Varric looked at her with wide eyes and his body began to shake as he tried to free himself. "Bianca, don't move any further. Stay where you are." Tears filled her eyes and she ground her teeth together before screaming for Marcus to show up.

"Patience girl," Marcus replied, "I'm here." He walked out of the tunnel and around the cage. The shadow around his eyes generated a dark and ominous hue His lips stretched into a wide grin as his gaze drifted to Amelia. "And my lovely wife."

"You're going to let my father go, Marcus."

"Aw, I'm hurt." He pressed his palm against his chest and shook his head. "I thought I was your father. I raised you for some time, you know." He swept his hand out, extending it to Varric. His voice turned dark as a growl fled his throat. "Much longer than daddy dearest here."

Bianca yanked the rope in her hand and Amelia fell forward. Her scream echoed into the air, bringing silence to follow. "I've brought Amelia for you. Isn't that what you want?"

"Yes. Now do be a good little girl and bring her over to me."

"Don't do it," Solas said with a weak voice. He raised his bloodied head and grasped the wagon cage's beams firmly with trembling fingers. "The minute you step off that platform he planted, our wagon will collapse on us." A sense of horror shot down her spine and Marcus rolled his head.

"Shut the hell up, Elf." Solas gnashed his teeth and Marcus started to laugh. "Oh Bianca, you would not believe the trouble I went through to keep that elf from using his magic. My mages wound up having to restrain him…and beat him until he could no longer fight."

Solas pressed his forehead against the bars and groaned. "Oh if only you knew, dwarf…"

Bianca yanked Amelia up and shoved her towards Marcus. "She has legs. She can walk on her own." Amelia hissed and Bianca pointed to Varric. "Now give me my father."

She squinted while looking at the wagon, and was able to make out faint signs of collapse points being held together by magic. If the magic was released, those points would break apart, and the sharp edges would impale both Solas and Thane while at the same time leaving her father hanging in place.

Marcus turned his back to her and extended his arms. "How perfectly ironic, Varric. Your 'home' in Kirkwall is a tavern named _The Hanged Man_, and here you are. Hanging by a thread." Varric bared his teeth at Marcus. "How does it feel to know your daughter unwittingly holds your life in her hands right now? To know if she so much as raises her foot, my mages will shatter the wagon you stand on…"

"How does it feel?" Varric looked down with a smug expression. "How does it feel to know you just acknowledged that she is, in fact, my daughter? Something I thought you would never actually do…now that feels great. I can die knowing you're pissed."

"Or you can just simply…die."

"What? And let Davri and Corypheus miss the chance to kill me themselves? Perish the thought, Cadash!"

"Enough of this," Bianca whispered. She extended her left hand, opening her palm towards Amelia, and let out a terrifying shout. "Marcus! Let my father go now." Marcus twisted around and his eyes enlarged as Amelia froze on her knees while staring at the anchor. "If you take my dad's, I will throw you all into the fade…and let the demons tear you apart."

Marcus turned fully to her with his calm demeanor changing to grief and panic. "You wouldn't dare. You wouldn't do it."

"Don't test me."

She might not make good on her threat, since it was against her own sense of moral decency; but there was no telling just how far she would fall if something happened to Varric. "I have spent twenty years trying to find my father…"

Her shoulders rose and her chest expanded as the fire burned in her eyes. "I have spent a decade and a half being manipulated, abused, beaten down by you and your _fucking wife." _She raised her voice out, sneering as Marcus dropped to his knees. "I ran away to the carta and was abused physically by a man too guilt ridden because he couldn't protect me from the others in the carta that abused me in ways too perverse for even your fucked up mentality to comprehend."

An exhale rolled away from her and her voice was now so loud she was certain the dragons of the Emprise would wake from their slumber. "So maker help me, help you, help us all. If you murder my dad, the one person that has finally given me a some sense of purpose and semblance in this crazy, screwed up life in this condemned continent of hell…Corypheus will be a _whimper_ compared to what I would become."

Marcus crept towards Amelia, extending his trembling arms. "N-No please. Bianca I beg of you, you wouldn't do this."

She looked up slowly, smirking when she saw Jade descending from the mountain above. The elf was skillfully hidden among the snow and rocks, so no one saw her cut through the noose and grab Varric to keep him from falling over.

Scout and several archers appeared on the top of the rocks and mountain surrounding them, each taking their aim at the mages standing within the circle. While they did this, Megan and Leon approached the wagon cage from behind, with Cole sneaking up to the lock to unlock it as he had done in freeing the captured villagers of Sahrnia.

"No." Bianca slammed her left hand into a fist and. "I wouldn't do that. You're right. I could never destroy so much, but I don't know what I would do if I lost my father after all this."

Marcus cradled his wife and looked up with a suspicious glance. "What are you saying, then?"

"That I don't have to worry about any of that."

It came like a flash of lightning, and in an instant that seemed to mirror Alexius's men being killed on the spot, the mages were shot down by the archers.

Having unlocked the wagon's door, Solas and Hawke were pulled to safety by Megan and Leon. Varric was still being clutched tight in Jade's arm as she dropped to the ground.

Marcus's jaw dropped open and his face turned red with rage. "What is this?" He bellowed. Marcus stood and pointed an angry finger to Bianca. "What did you do?" She shrugged and flashed a cunning smirk.

"Me? Nothing. I only played my part in making sure you didn't see the ambush that was being set up. You bought it, hook and line."

Trina walked up behind her, wielding her Broadsword and extending _Faith's Edge _to Bianca.

Varric stretched his arms out and his eyes glistened with pride. "That's my girl," he said with a laugh.

She swung her axe over her right shoulder, resting the beam on the tip of her shoulder. "Come on Marcus, I know you're just dying to hit me. Right? You would love to kill me on the spot, I know."

She lifted her foot off the platform and took a step forward. "Your plan's failed. You're surrounded." Her eyebrows rose at the sound of a distant horn. "And Trevelyan's plan isn't even finished yet."

"What are you going on about?"

Trina brushed the snow from her shoulders and quickly cleared her throat. "I had Josephine send word to King Aeducan of Orzammar." Marcus stumbled back and began to stammer. "Bhelen Aeducan has only left the surface a few rare times, but he has decided that for the sake of the Inquisition, he will attend to the Inquisitor's side."

The horn was louder now, and it's triumphant blast shook the snow from the tops of the rocks. Bianca turned around and smiled when she saw the Dwarven King approaching with several armed guards with him.

"I'm honored," she said aloud. "I don't know what made you decide this matter was important enough to leave Orzammar for, but I thank you." Bhelen slid his hand through his long braided beard and huffed his words with a deep and entrancing voice.

"I was moved by the tale that your ambassador wove for me." Bhelen moved past her, glaring down at Marcus and Amelia, who were now clutched together. "The tale of a young child who would become the one thing to keep all of Thedas from sinking…comes not only from my homeland, but from one of the most important noble houses of all Orzammar. To think that she was to be diminished, destroyed and battered by the two of you."

Amelia cackled and leaned forward, speaking in an attempt to defend herself. "She doesn't come from us. She comes from the Tethras house! She comes from _nothing!"_

"Nothing?" Bhelen leaned his head back and bellowed out a laugh. "Paragon Garen and Paragon Tethras were certainly more than 'nothing'. The Tethras house has done more for Orzammar in the last few centuries than House Cadash. The only claim you take, as far as I am concerned, is that you have an ancient golem in your family who happened to aid in ending the fifth blight. Nothing more."

"You know." The ground trembled at Bianca's feet and she quickly planted her axe into the ground and leaned against it to remain stable. Her eyes darted to the source of the deep tremble and the husky voice behind her. "I take offense to that."

When she saw a large rock figure approaching from the shadows, the color left her skin and she nearly fainted from the shock.

The golem's shadow fell over Marcus and Amelia. They shook with fear, clutching each other as though their lives were nearing the end. "When Leliana wrote to me, I was appalled by the stories that were told. Appalled that I would have a descendant so disgusting, so filthy, too filthy for even the pigeons to perch near."

"We're disgusting?" Marcus released Amelia and marched towards the golem, seemingly filled with a new strength. "What about you? Turning yourself into one of those…_things_. For what?"

"I see." The golem turned to Bhelen and shrugged. "As the Cadash House 'elder', I give my permission…"

"Elder? What are you going on about?"

"I am the oldest living member of House Cadash. Orzammar's king must approach the elders of the noble house when it is in the process of being revoked or when a fight of power breaks out between two houses."

"Fight of-"

Bhelen dropped his hand to Bianca's shoulder and flashed a smirk. "Because the Inquisitor is by birth from noble house Tethras, I hereby name her as champion of the Tethras house." Bianca raised an eyebrow and Varric stared at the king with suspicion.

"What's going on?" Bianca inquired.

"I wish to restore Tethras as a noble house of Orzammar, but in doing so, the Cadash noble house will fall. After hearing your tale, I wish to make this interesting…for me. Have you ever heard of a proving, Inquisitor Cadash?"

"No," Varric muttered, "No King Aeducan. With respect, don't put my daughter through this." Bhelen frowned and Varric ran his hand over his forehead, sighing heavily. "Please she's been through enough thanks to these two. I'm the head of House Tethras. I don't wish to be reinstated. Respectfully, I have no desire to return to Orzammar…I've lived on the surface all my life. There's nothing for me there. Don't put my daughter through this, please."

Sensing her father's pain, Bianca held back her opinion for a moment of contemplation. She understood what was going on, as unorthodox as it was-it had been said that Bhelen was an unusual king for Orzammar.

Still, a grievous insult had been performed, one that she felt tarnished what honor there may have been for her father at one point of time. If she had to champion the Tethras house, she would, but there was a sense of desire to do more.

"No." She stepped forward and all eyes fell on her. She raised the axe and pointed the tip at Marcus. "Dad, let me decide this. I want to avenge the insult that the Cadash house dealt my father…" Varric dropped his shoulders and sighed.

"I can't talk you away from this?"

"No. This is personal, but it's not about revenge. It's not about me." Marcus sneered in response while Bhelen's happy grin increased.

"Do we have a duel?" Bhelen inquired. "A challenge?"

"Yes." She lowered the axe and breathed out calmly. "I will avenge the insult dealt to my father, and in doing so, Marcus and House Cadash will be stripped of nobility." She met Marcus's enraged glare and watched as he reached for the daggers on his back. "Do you accept the terms of my challenge?"

"I do," he said with a low growl. Onlookers backed out of the way, forming a circle around them. Varric ran up to Bianca, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

"Bianca, you don't have to do this."

"Let me." She smiled at him and he smiled back, albeit faint. "I love you dad. You should never have had to suffer because of this man, he's diminished you, and I am going to fight him to avenge that…"

"You know I'm proud of you, and I love you with all my heart. I trust you, and having you in my life now means more than any fight with that man could ever do. If you're set on this path, then you have my blessing, but please…be careful." He pulled her into a firm, but gentle embrace and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"He's old and slower, his back and his knees are weak. If you strike anywhere, strike him there…" She looked straight ahead at Marcus watching as the man sized her up. Varric kissed her forehead and backed away slowly. "You got this, Bianca."

* * *

This was certainly an intense chapter. What are your thoughts? Do you think Trevelyan makes a good potential successor, or who else might you have in mind? Furthering that, what did you think of the plan? Now at the end, Bianca's challenge to Marcus to a duel. How are you thinking that will go? Next chapter, it's Bianca versus Marcus, and the return of the Proving-in a bit of an unconventional and different setting. Oh, and another familiar face. Thoughts anyone? Tom?


	38. The Fight: House Tethras vs House Cadash

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 38 (The Duel: House Tethras vs House Cadash)

Bending at her knees and clutching the axe with firm hands, Bianca stared at the man standing several meters away from her. "What did I just get myself into?" The fear demon from the fade was nothing compared to Marcus Cadash. To her, Marcus _was_ the nightmare, the living and walking embodiment of everything she feared.

The power he'd had over her when she was growing up was tremendous; it was as though he held the right for her to live or die in his very hands. Now she was standing here, staring fear in the face and preparing for a fight she never thought she'd find herself in.

"He has no power over me anymore. This duel will end it. Whatever control he thinks he has, whatever leash he assumes he's got on me…" She turned her axe with her hand and glared down at the glittering blades, smiling when she pictured Oghren looking back at her. "With my hero's axe-with my axe-I will sever that hold while avenging my father."

"Hey." Marcus's voice rolled out in a snakelike hiss, and his mouth twisted into a deadly sneer. "Are we going to do this, or are you going to stare at your blade like a lost little child?"

She turned her eyes towards him and shrugged. "I'm waiting on you. Make the first move, if you're so confident." Even with daggers in his hands, she knew his moves. The dagger was only the extension of his fist, ready to smack her or come crashing down on her with nothing but brute force. "I'm ready for you this time. Does that concern you?"

His face tensed and he squatted while grinding his teeth. "Not in the slightest." Marcus was like Lantos, but in the way Varric said, he was much slower and should be easier to dodge. "I'll beat you down the way I always have, because in the end of the day, you're just a scared little girl."

"Not anymore. I'm stronger than you, and I know how to fight back now. You've never had the chance to see me at my best. Now you will."

"Shut up." Marcus leapt into the air, lunging towards her with both blades raised above his head. Her eyes widened and she sprang into action, spinning in the form of a whirlwind.

She twisted her axe around, smacking him like a gnat with the flat end of her axe. A crunching noise echoed from the point of contact on his back and she turned her head to see him fly into a part of the mountain. "Damn it." He hopped to his feet and moved his hand to his back, groaning aloud. "Damn you, you little brat."

"Not fighting like you used to? Can't stand that I'm stronger now? Did you think you were going to be able to overpower and control me all my life?"

Marcus spun the daggers in his hand, moving them between his fingers as he approached her. "Quit your yapping. You're nothing. All you've ever been is nothing. You should never have even existed. The spawn of a mistake, that's all you are, a mistake because your father slept with a mental, crazy, batshit whore."

Varric threw his hand to his forehead and Bianca shrugged. "Well, there's something we agree on. Mother is crazy."

"Heh." Marcus dropped a bomb that sent an explosion of smoke into the air. She covered her eyes with her arm and started to cough. "Bianca." Her father's voice drew her attention and she started moving towards him. "Bianca, behind you!"

Just as she turned her head, she heard the clink of steel against metal, followed by the sense of pressure striking her armor. "There you are." Thinking fast, she swung her axe in the direction of the blow. She felt something heavy hit the end of the weapon and listened to the soft squish of something rolling in the snow.

The smoke cleared away and Marcus was on his hands and knees, groaning as he pushed his trembling body upwards. "Going to have to hit harder than that," Bianca mumbled. "What happened? I remember your punches, they always felt like someone swinging a brick at my head."

"I ought to." He put his hand to his chest and started to cough. "Go ahead and hit me while I'm down."

"No. Get up."

"Dumb little bitch." He flung his hand out and released a cloud of toxins into the air. Her eyes shot open and she threw her hand over her mouth while rushing away from the toxic cloud. "I might be getting old, but that doesn't mean I can't make good use of tricks."

"Your bag of tricks won't last long."

Amelia put her hands around her mouth and called out to her husband. "You'd better win this. If you lose and lose everything, we're through here!" He turned his head to her and Bianca's eyebrow rose.

"Of course she shows her true colors, Marcus. All Amelia's ever been into is power and wealth…I guess you do have a lot to lose." Marcus stood and threw one of his daggers at her with an angry shout.

Bianca raised the face of her axe up and deflected the blade as fast as she could. When she pulled the blade from her face, she saw Marcus running towards her with his second dagger ready.

"No!" She thrust her weapon forward, striking the center of his chest with the flat top of the axe. Marcus stumbled back, flailing his arms and screaming as he started to lose balance. "Too close." She swept the weapon to his legs, striking the blunt face against his knees.

A sharp crackling sound erupted from his left knee and Marcus fell to the ground, grasping his leg tight while screaming in anguish. "My knee, you've busted my knee!"

"I can't believe I was ever terrified of you." This was the man that used to break her arms with a single twist of her limb; the same man that could threaten to crack her skull in a single blow and make her fear his doing exactly that. "Where's the ferocity? Where's the fire? Where's the giant man that could beat a little child without a single thought?"

"Now who's getting all confident?" Marcus reached into a sack on his waist and pulled several small orbs from it. He tossed them at her feet and she peered down in time to see them explode in bursts of fire, ice and electricity.

The elements shot through her body and sent her crashing and rolling onto the ground. She hissed as electricity continued to pulse through her body. "Stupid little girl." Marcus rose and walked towards her, dragging his left foot behind him. He chuckled softly as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Always talking back, always trying to be a little smartass. It's time someone cleaned your mouth out, don't you think?"

He raised his right fist and swung it down, striking her in the jaw. "Bianca!" Varric lunged forward, but some of the people nearby held him back. Marcus struck her again and her body flinched as the jolt of pain shot through her. "Damn it what are you doing? Let me go!"

"This is a duel," Marcus said while turning his attention to Varric. "An unconventional way of doing the proving matches of old. You know the rules, no interference."

Varric gnashed his teeth and cried out in anger. "That isn't a duel. You're just beating her like you did when she was a kid. Hitting her when she's down. You're nothing but a coward, Cadash. That's all you are, that's all you'll ever be."

Bianca gripped her axe with her right hand and turned her eyes to Marcus's right knee. "Not necessarily." She closed her hand around the handle and raised the weapon an inch from the ground. Marcus turned to look and Bianca used all her strength to sweep him off his feet.

Once he was on the ground, she rolled over and pushed herself up. "You're right, Dad, he is a coward." Marcus glared up at her and his trembling fingers dragged through the snow as he closed his hands around them. "Sure as he is a coward, he hits me when I'm down. But that's not all he is…he's just a pathetic old man, an old man that has no more bite because the one person he had leashed he can't control."

Marcus threw his hand in the air with a shout, sending a fistful of snow into her face. She staggered back and Marcus jumped up. "I'll show you a pathetic old man." He grabbed her by the neck and used all his strength to push her as he ran for the mountainside.

Bianca felt her body slam into the jagged rocks and cried out as the pain shot through her with a swift pulse. Marcus yanked her back, breathing heavily in the process, and spun himself around-releasing her at the end of his spin.

She stumbled forward and used the shoulder of one of her companions to catch her balance. She clutched her axe and raised it like a club, ready to swing at a coming projectile.

Her eyes narrowed as Marcus charged her like a raging bull. His eyes were red with fire and his nostrils flared out. "This is for the abuse." She swung the axe. Marcus turned to try and avoid the blow at the last moment, but was struck in the back. He caught his balance and circled around, screaming in anger as he charged again.

"This one's for following my mother's orders like a heartless, callous demon." She swung the weapon again, this time crushing Marcus's left shoulder.

He clutched his shoulder and came at her once again, as though ignoring the injuries he already had. Adrenaline was surely to blame for this, and she had to credit him for the determination.

"Then this is for my father, who suffered twenty years because you couldn't do the right thing and give me back." She swung the weapon once more with all her strength, delivering a crushing blow to his chest.

Marcus crashed to the ground and clutched his arm, groaning as he rolled from left to right. "It's over, Marcus." She put her weapon down and approached him, looking into his pain filled eyes somberly. "You're just an old man, I can't do anything more than I already have. You lose."

"No," he growled. His eyes lit up with rage and he began to push himself up, groaning against his own pain. Bianca took a small step back and felt a lump grow in her throat as Marcus started to walk towards her. "No, I won't lose to the likes of you. You're just a weak little child, that's all you are, all you've ever been and all you will ever be."

He grabbed his chest and took a deep breath. A portion of his face started to tense and contort, and a vein began to bulge from his neck. "Marcus, this fight is over." Bianca repeated herself firmly, hoping that he would understand the duel had ended and he needed to calm down. "There's no reason to continue."

"No. I won't accept it. You'd have to kill me before I lose to a pathetic, weak minded child."

Marcus took another step and the tremor in his body grew increasingly violent. His eyes began to move skyward and he fell to his knees. "Marcus?" Amelia turned white and she ran to her husband's side, shrieking as he collapsed into her arms. "Marcus!"

"I-I can't…" Marcus grunted and clenched his eyes. "I can't feel my arm. My chest-my heart…" His lips separated and a gasp drifted away from them before he fell limp. Bianca threw her hands over her mouth and stared with wide eyes as the others approached.

"He overworked himself," King Bhelen said with a soft and quiet tone. "His heart couldn't take any more. He's gone." Bhelen turned to Bianca and crossed his arms. "You were right, he was just too old to keep up the fight. I will see to it his body is taken to Orzammar…and his wife…" Amelia turned her head up and she fell into a seated position as Bhelen shook his head. "You will remain within our prison walls until we have decided what is to be done with you."

"No!" Amelia turned onto her hands and knees and tried to crawl away, but several of Bhelen's guards grabbed her. "No, you can't do this."

It was not long before Bianca was once more in her father's loving embrace, and her tired body was being soothed by his warmth. "Thank god you're safe," Varric whispered to her, "Thank god"

"I knew Marcus couldn't win, he was too set on abuse and brute force…he never expected to seriously fight with me, because he always thought I was weak."

"You're not weak." He tightened his hug and she slowly moved her arms around him. "You are strong, and I am immensely proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad…can we go home now? I just want to sleep…"

"Yeah." He wiped a tear from his eyes and smiled at her. "Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

I felt it would be more appropriate that he died of a heart attack, and that Bianca likely would not have taken his life in this instance. What are your thoughts on the duel? What are your thoughts on Shale overseeing the destruction of her very house, although she probably has great disdain for them if she's listened to all that Leliana may have told her. Fighting Marcus may have proved a tad on the easier side for Bianca, but since he and Amelia are in fact just "tools", I felt they should not be overly difficult to deal with compared to Davri and even Corypheus.


	39. Wavering Flames

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 39 (Wavering Flames)

By the time they returned to Skyhold, all Bianca wanted to do was get some sleep. She was exhausted and didn't have the energy to concern herself with much else. She gave Varric a hug and graciously accepted his gift of the crystal grace headdress that he found, then made her way to her bedroom.

She crashed face-first on the bed and almost instantly drifted off to sleep. Letting her mind wander and her subconscious take over.

Bianca lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling of her room within the Carta den; her arms were folded atop her stomach and her body was exhausted after a long night. Still, she couldn't sleep and she couldn't get the events of the day out of her head. Dasher had just sent her on a task with Aaron and a few of the other members of the clan. Lantos was made to stay behind after some explosives went off, nearly killing him; yet it didn't appear to be an accident.

She sat up at the sound of someone shuddering from the next room. "Lan?" She moved off the bed and made her way to Lantos's room, where she found him seated on the edge of his bed.

He was bent forward, half naked and covered in a cold sweat. His chest was covered with minor burns and blood, and his head was covered by his hands. He pulled his hands from his bruised face and turned his head. "You okay?" He asked.

"Me?" She straightened herself and clenched her fists. "You're the one that got your ass blown up back there." He chuckled once and looked to the ground with a distant gaze. She raised an eyebrow and approached carefully. "Normally that would have earned me a good verbal lashing from you."

"Not this time."

"What's going on?"

"I was just…" He raised his head up and cleared his throat. "Maybe they are nightmares," he whispered such that she could barely hear. "You know how the surfacers talk about dreams, and how we can't dream?" Bianca sat down beside him, peering at the wall in front of them in silence.

"Sure."

"Have you ever wondered if that's not the case? If it's just all a part of our subconscious, locked away for whatever reason? We have memories, we remember things clear as day just like anyone else…some things, I'd rather forget, but I can't." He put his hands on his knees and narrowed his eyes. "What if dreams are just memories? What if we do dream, but a dream is something that we forget? Or maybe it's locked away until something traumatic happens?"

The corner of her lip rose to a smirk and she moved her hand to his shoulder. "Lan. What on earth has gotten you thinking about this crap? You're not the philosophical sort."

"I don't know. That explosion. Top it off with all the stress, all the shit going on." He folded his right hand over his left and positioned them in his lap, staring down at them. "The way I take my stress out on you…" Bianca moved her hand away and looked to the side. "I should have gone with you today. I shouldn't have let Dasher talk me into staying behind." His hand balled up and a fire burned in his eyes. "To think that Aaron-I should have been there."

"You would have been a liability and you know it. You were wounded, considerably. You think it was intentional, for that matter."

"I think it was Aaron, trying to get me out of the way." Lantos stood up with a scoff and slid his hand over the back of his neck. "Nevertheless. Everything going on, I can't sleep. Nightmares, bad 'dreams' and shit."

"You almost died today."

"Maybe that's it." He shrugged. "Maybe near death experiences help us to remember how to dream?"

"I think you need to try and get some sleep." She walked him to the side of his bed and helped him in. With a smile, she pulled the covers up to his chin and looked down into his tired eyes. "What 'dreams' are you having?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does, Lan."

His eyebrows closed together and he shut his eyes. "I'll try to get better, Bianca." His lips trembled and parted with a sigh. "I know I can be a demon at times, and you already live in a cesspool of demons. I should…I shouldn't…" His forehead tensed and he began to tremble again. "It keeps chasing me, hounding me. It's going to kill me. The face it wears; it's mine."

"What is?"

"The demon." She put her hand to his face and his eyelids opened halfway. When he looked up at her his muscles relaxed and his gaze softened. "Maybe this is why we can't dream. It's unpleasant."

"Maybe. Try not to think about it, there's plenty of other stuff to think about." She tilted her head and swept her fingers gently across his forehead. "You know, I hear the Divine called for a big meeting in a couple months? That's what we found out today. I also found something else out…"

"What's that?"

"My dad's going to be there." His eyebrows rose and he started to sit up, but fell back with a wince. Bianca looked to the bandaged wound on his left abdomen and moved her hand over it. "I think so, anyway. I haven't confirmed that yet."

"You never stop going on about that man. I wonder if he'd be everything you think he'd be. I guess I haven't given you much reason to want to stay here, and after today, neither has Aaron." Her eyes clenched shut and she felt the muscles in his body tighten. "I'd like to kill that son of a bitch. I wish this was another one of these weird head visions-or whatever they are."

"Me too. I'd like not to think about it anymore, Lan…"

"I'm sorry. If that means anything at all. I'm sorry for everything, and I'm sorry if I let my stress and anger get the better of me in the future."

Bianca shot up from her bed in Skyhold, groaning aloud at yet another vivid dream. She rubbed her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the pounding coming from within. "Another dream. Of course. Why do I keep having these dreams?"

Perhaps Lantos had been right and that dreams were nothing more than subconscious thoughts. Memories. It didn't explain some of the dreams she was having that never actually happened, but the one she just had took place months before she attended the conclave-months before she almost died.

"Maybe he had a point with the near death thing." She had forgotten how Lantos could be when he didn't lose himself to his anger. Behind the anger issues that he had, he was once a good man; strong and protective. It came to her now as little surprise that Scout Harding could have fallen for him.

She felt a sudden twinge of envy in her heart and ran her hand over her upper arm as her eyelids sank halfway. "Go figure he learns to control his anger and stress once I'm out of his life." She shook herself and took a deep breath. "What am I saying? It's a good thing…I'm glad he's not hurting Harding. The Clan can't control him anymore, either."

While his anger and his abuse bore no excuse, and he was responsible, there were some things that the clan had done to make him in such a way. She'd forgotten quite a bit of it, since she'd tried to blot it all out so long ago.

A knock at her door startled her and she looked up in time to see Sandal poking his head in. "Hey." He flashed a smile and opened the door a bit further. "You okay?"

She smiled faintly, happy to see him. "I've been worse." Sandal walked up to her and sat beside her. "Sandal tell me something."

"What?"

"Do you think it is possible that dwarves can dream?" Sandal jerked his head back and blinked twice before carefully rubbing the back of his neck.

"I…am not sure. I suppose it could be. For instance, how they say someone has a dream to be something…like with Dagna, who dreamt of studying magic when she was younger."

"Right. Dwarves can't practice magic, can't access the fade, can't dream-and yet we can. In various ways." She snapped her fingers and pushed herself against the bed's headboard. "We can't practice magic because we're too human, even more human than humans, if Solas's theory is applicable."

"How so?"

"People outside Thedas can't practice magic. Only the ancient elves could practice magic. A group of humans, consistent of normal sized humans and those whose growth was stunted…the 'normal' humans mated with the ancient elves native to Thedas, and now the descendants of those humans can practice magic because it's in their blood. Our ancestors never mated with the elves."

"Right, although we can have an understanding of magic. As we see with Dagna, and well, myself."

"Exactly. Why might we not dream? Is it possible living underground for a thousand years locked away our subconscious thoughts?" She hopped off the bed and walked towards her balcony, rubbing her chin as she considered these thoughts. "When one of us accesses the fade, when one of us nearly _dies_, we start to dream again. Why is that?"

"I wouldn't know, to be honest." Sandal frowned and bowed his head. "I wish I could be of more help to you."

"You are. I need someone to bounce this off on." She lowered her hand and turned to him. "I've been having the strangest dreams lately with no explanation of why, and I'm not the first dwarf it's happened to. It happened to Lantos too, but it might have happened to others before."

"Lantos?"

"Yes. There was a time when Aaron came close to killing him-granted the clan had been trying unsuccessfully to kill him for the longest time-whether it was force-feeding him darkspawn blood or trying to plant a piece of dagger in his food…a bomb almost took his life, and after that he began having these terrible nightmares."

"How'd he survive? If you don't mind me asking."

"The explosion knocked a cave wall loose, the rocks hit him before the blast did. They acted as a buffer, saving his life." A sharp pain hit her chest and her eyes darted to the side as she contemplated what might have happened had he died. "No matter how abusive he was towards me, he was always-before and after that incident-the one that stood between me and the rest of the Carta…"

"And evidently your own mother."

"Yeah. Evidently." She swayed to the right and moved her hand to her forehead, groaning as a pit of nausea grew within her stomach. "God I can't wait to get on Isabela's ship and just take off. Why does everything come up magic, Sandal? I hate magic…hell, it was even involved in my father almost dying back there."

"Thedas is a terrifying place, I'll admit." Sandal stood up and placed his hands onto her shoulders, smiling as she looked into his eyes. "Everything will be okay, Bianca." She moved her forearms over her stomach and shook her head.

"No. Nothing's going to be okay. Nothing's going to be okay until Corypheus is dead and we're out of Thedas." She took a deep breath and gazed solemnly at the bedroom door. "Sandal. Dagna and Harding are planning to join us. I-I would love for you to come as well."

Sandal reached up and gently pulled a strand of her hair from her face. "You couldn't drive me away if you tried." Blood rushed to her cheeks and joy poured out from her heart. "There isn't much left for me here in Thedas without you, anyway."

"What about your dad?"

"He'll make do. He already can't stand that I've moved on from that life of his-that I don't want to spend the rest of my life working for him and that I'd rather him be a father than a boss."

Her gaze fell and her lips pulled into a thin line. "Take it from me, Sandal. Talk to your dad. If we leave Thedas, we might never be able to return." Hell, the way Solas sounded when she spoke to him, he was rather cryptic about the possible fate that Thedas may one day suffer. "If you come with us and your dad doesn't, you might regret it."

"I might, but being with you is more important to me than being without. Even if we are only friends." She was moved by the desire he had for her, and while she wanted to have that bond with him, she was afraid to get romantically tied down right now.

"You know how I feel, Sandal."

"I know. That's why I've stepped back."

She moved her hands into his and leaned back, smiling as her gaze melted into his. "I appreciate that." Bianca swayed into him and gently kissed his cheek. He turned red as a tomato and stumbled backwards. "Thank you for being patient with me. I…I do care for you, and I don't want to lead you on, but I don't know if I'm ready for another relationship right now. Not with everything that's going on. Not with everything I've been through."

"Y-Yeah."

"With that said, talk to your dad and really think about whether or not you want to leave Thedas with us. I don't want you changing your entire life because of me if you don't have to…"

"I understand, Bianca."

She closed her left hand around his and walked with him to the rail of the balcony. As she gazed at the distant sky, she put her head to his shoulder and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

Sandal squeezed her hand. "I will talk to my father. How much time do you think we have before you take that trip, anyhow?"

"I'm not sure. We'll be marching on the Arbor Wilds soon. We're hoping that will give us what we need to be able to defeat Corypheus." She raised her head up and shrugged. "Then it's over. Once we've killed him, we'll be ready. I've decided on a successor after all."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking Trina Trevelyan will be the best fit to guide the Inquisition for whatever comes next…She's proved her worth and it was her plan that helped save my father's life. Solas and Hawke too."

"Yeah." Sandal's head tilted to the right and he squinted his eyes. "Hey, I just realized, you said Harding was interested in joining the journey to the new land." She nodded and looked up at him. "Does that mean Lantos is coming too?" Her heart started to sink and she looked away, lowering her voice to a note above a whisper.

"No. I don't know." Harding and Lantos were having some trouble the last she heard. Harding said that while Lantos wasn't abusive to her, he seemed to be distant. She said that while he made clear that he cared very deeply for her, and her for him, she wasn't sure if his heart was fully in the relationship. Bianca felt there was something more to Harding's words, but she didn't know what that was-or perhaps she was afraid of what it could be.

"There's always a chance, Sandal, but I honestly don't know. It's not my concern what he does."

"Were things always bad between the two of you? You and Lantos?"

"Not always. I think my mother and the Carta stressed him out so much that he couldn't control his anger. I had a tendency to be a smartass, and that set him off. While I'm not trying to justify or make excuses for him-because there is no excuse-I can't sit here and pretend that I didn't play a role."

He needed someone tough, someone who could stand up against that anger while being able to calm him-and that person appeared to be Harding.

"You know he saved your dad before." She fell silent and shot Sandal a skeptical look. "I was talking to him recently and he said for me not to bring this up, but back at Haven…with that dragon that almost killed Varric-Lantos pulled him out of the way at the last minute. He said he knew your dad would never willingly go back to the Chantry that day, he would have died to keep you safe, but Lantos knew the guy needed to stick around for you."

She was speechless and struck with confusion. Lantos, in all his various rages, never once displayed any concern for her father. "I…I'm amazed to hear that. Why would he even concern himself with my dad when he's always tried to talk me out of leaving to find him?"

"Who knows? Maybe he sees how important your dad is to you? Maybe he felt like if you left the Carta he couldn't keep you safe, but saw that your dad can? Does it matter much?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest." She crossed her arms and leaned over the balcony rail. Her lips fell into a frown and her half-lidded gaze dropped to the battlements below. "It really shouldn't matter…"'

* * *

What do you think? I was thinking this might be a good theory for how they are coming about having their subconscious mind opened through coming a hair's breadth away from death. Also, I the memory at the beginning, I wanted to show a side of our mysterious anti-hero for you


	40. Old Familiar Feeling

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Voracious, I want to say thank you and I appreciate your concrit, looking at my writing I do agree very well with you and am trying to improve. I've taken this chapter, did my best to try and polish it up well, especially considering the content. I hope you and everyone else will enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 40 (Old Familiar Feeling)

The day had come to march on the Arbor Wilds, and all Bianca could stand to do was stare at the mirror in her room. The blank expression staring back at her matched only the numbness she felt towards what was coming. Her eyes were weary and exhausted from the worry and dreams that kept her up the night prior, but she dared not speak of them, lest people decide to coddle her.

Soon the Inquisition would have the upper hand on Corypheus, and a fight with him would be near.

Her trembling fingers pulled at the long bangs that had fallen before her face, and tore away the tiny strands of hair glued to her shaky lips. "What if we don't get to the mirror before Corypheus? What if we don't stop him in time?" In her heart, she wanted that to be the bigger fear, but she was only lying to herself.

She was confident the Inquisition could beat Corypheus. After all, they'd proven capable of doing just that both at Adamant and the Winter Palace. Bianca was more concerned with what they might find at the Arbor Wilds, and she'd grown more nervous in regards to the journey that was to come after.

Thoughts of leaving her companions behind pulled at her heart and drew tears to her eyes, so she swept them away as quick as she could and attempted to focus her mind on the Wilds.

"Once we stop Corypheus, Isabela and Thane will be waiting at port." There was no doubt in her mind that this was the right move; she wanted to take this journey away from Thedas above all else, but to sail into unknown lands was truly terrifying.

Bianca filled her lungs with air and turned away from her mirror. "At least Sera and Cole want to come with us. Dagna and Harding too." Her eyes fell to the floor. "Harding…why does she want to come along if Lantos isn't with her, I wonder."

A rustling noise pulled her attention towards her balcony and when she saw Lantos standing there, a heavy feeling grew in her stomach. "Lantos?" She stammered. Bianca shook her head and turned fully to him, her body tensed just barely and she remained calm. "What are you doing here? Does Harding know you're here?"

She scolded herself mentally and questioned why it mattered to her if Harding knew whether or not Lantos was showing up unannounced.

"Yes." His answer rolled out in a single, overpowering breath. "I want Harding to go on that journey with you and your father, hence why she's going." Lantos crossed his arms and raised his shoulders. "There's nothing in Thedas worth staying for; the both of you would be better off. Safer than spending your lives on a country destined only for darkness."

Her heart skipped a beat and a swelling lump within her throat threatened to cut off the air from her lungs. "You wouldn't leave with her?" He closed his eyes and his tight lips parted only to release a solitary breath.

"No. I'm better alone, Bianca. Always have been."

"She cares about you."

"That's why I've let her go. We are no longer together. We can't be." Her heartbeat spiked once more and her hand rose over her mouth, to muffle her sudden gasp. "Also, sorry for jumping onto your balcony like this, but I had a feeling if anyone saw me coming to visit you, they'd shoot me down first."

For a split second she could feel the desire shooting through her veins, burning her like wildfire. She doused the feeling as soon as it came, reminding her that she couldn't feel the pull that she'd begun to feel for him. It wasn't appropriate, and nothing would ever happen with him.

"I don't know what you want, Lantos. I don't know why you're here, or what you want me to be to you." She was tired of the habit he had of watching over her as if protecting her. Despite that she enjoyed knowing there was some part of him that cared enough to look after her, it didn't change the fact that he'd hurt her and broken that trust they once had. "I don't want you to think that because you broke up with Harding-"

"She ended things, Bianca. Though, it was more of a mutual end." His brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the right. "I came to tell you goodbye, and that I am sorry. For everything. I'm letting you go too."

"What?"

"You heard me." She felt a tightening in her stomach and so she turned away from him and slowly approached the corner of her bed. Her knees were beginning to buckle and for a reason she couldn't explain, her heart was starting to sink.

"Goodbye? So what. You think I need to be told goodbye by you? I don't care what you do."

It meant he wouldn't protect her anymore, not that she needed him to. Bianca hardly wanted him around, so she was baffled as to why hearing him say he was letting her go was so hard.

"No." Lantos dropped his arms with a sigh and took a small step forward. "But I thought you might like the closure."

"Since when do you care?" She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to be angry and to hate him like she had, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not when he was being the very man she fell for when they first met; the defender who kept her from those who would hurt her. "What I don't understand is why do you care?"

"Because I loved you." Her heart burst and she raised her head, gasping as the air in her lungs depleted. "Because I never stopped. There was no justification for the way I ended up treating you, though. The way I couldn't control the anger caused by all the stress I was under. I should never have hurt you when I was always trying to protect you…"

"So you care now because you're guilty?" She spun around, smirking as her eyes travelled to him. Her smirk faded when she saw the pain behind his eyes, a pain that caused the tough façade to shatter. "Lantos?"

"I am guilty. Guilty of hurting you, guilty of letting the Carta hurt you, guilty of being that one person in your life that you could trust and then betraying that trust by causing you any harm at all."

His bushy eyebrows closed together and a strength shone in his eyes. That strength held her gaze, stealing her resolve if only for a moment. "Now, however? I didn't watch after you out of some guilty complex-I knew your mother was still out there and I knew once you found your dad, she was going to come after you like a hellcat."

"So you were, what, still trying to protect me?"

"You and your father, neither of you knew how much danger you were in from that woman." He swept his hand through the air and shook his head. "Someone had to keep her from you. Someone had to make sure you would get a chance to be with your dad."

Bianca chewed on her lip and dropped her gaze to the ground while contemplating her feelings towards the matter entirely. The more she thought about it, the more intense her heart would beat against her chest.

"I didn't come here for forgiveness, Bianca. I would be foolish to ask that of you."

"Why? Why would you be?"

"Because I don't deserve your forgiveness."

She raised her head and approached him, shrugging as her eyes locked with his. "You saved my life in the Wastes, you saved my father's life even when he didn't know it. You've kept my mother at bay when she tried to kill me. You've more than earned forgiveness."

"If you want to forgive me, that's your prerogative. I only came to tell you that I would be letting you go. You don't need me to protect you from behind anymore. You can handle yourself, and your dad should be able to keep you safe if nothing else."

"You said you continued to watch out for me because what-you 'loved me'?"

"Yes."

"What about Harding? Did you ever love her?"

"Yes, but she was different." She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at him. Lantos crossed his arms and breathed in slowly. "Scout Harding helped me return to the man I used to be, she helped me see how to gain control of myself, of the anger I had towards the world."

"So she saved you from yourself."

"I suppose so, but I couldn't let you go and that wasn't fair to her. I couldn't hurt her like that. So I'm letting you both go. I believe that would be best for everyone."

"Will I see you again?"

A wrinkle popped up between his eyebrows and he started to frown. "Probably not." The incessant throbbing in her chest was growing louder and more rampant, and the knot in her stomach was twisting-though it was becoming harder to scold herself for the feelings that were resurfacing.

She needed to quell them, it was inappropriate and unfair to Harding and even Sandal. Despite the fact that all she had with Sandal was a friendship. "I loved you too, Lantos. Just so you know." His eyebrows curled up in the center.

"Bianca. Don't."

"No. You had your say, now I want to have mine." Bianca moved towards him and moved her hand to his chest, pressing her palm against his firm muscle. She turned a solemn gaze into his and felt her body beginning to melt away. "Otherwise I wouldn't have stayed with you through those years. I know I wasn't strong enough to leave you, but there was that part of you that I always wanted to see."

"Don't do this." A mist formed in his eyes, and the tone in his voice grew deathly quiet. "It's hard enough saying goodbye like this, don't make it harder than it has to be."

"What? Are you afraid to let me have a say?"

"No, it's just…" She felt his hand caress her cheek and closed her eyes as a sudden warmth grew at the place of contact. A shiver drifted into her skin and shot down her spine, leaving a trail of chills in its wake. "It's difficult for me to let you go, difficult for me to do this."

"Why do it now?"

"I know once you go to the Arbor Wilds, once you face Corypheus, that's it. This was my last chance to talk to you. To tell you to be safe, to say goodbye."

"Thank you then." She wanted him to know before he left that she was grateful for everything, so he wasn't leaving before she had her say. "Before you leave, I just wanted to say that. Thank you. Thank you for watching after my dad, thank you for showing me the man you were is still in there…"

"The man I was? That man never left, I just couldn't be that person when we were with the Carta." She heard him swallow and watched the quivering of his eyes. "I've missed you. I will miss you. I just want you to know, I don't regret it. I don't regret loving you, I don't regret keeping your mother from hurting you or even fighting off the carta to keep you safe."

"Even when they did terrible things to you? To us?"

"Of course." A wry chuckle left his lips and his hand slid away from her cheek and onto her shoulder. She closed her eyes as the blood rushed to the area that he touched. It was a feeling she hadn't felt from him in years, and she craved it. Despite everything, she craved the familiar sensations. "I loved you, and I never stopped. I would've done anything for you back then, and I did. Hell, the carta forcing me to drink darkspawn blood was hell, and I'd go through it all again if I had to…"

"I don't know what it is. Part of me still…" His head moved back and he raised an eyebrow.

"We shouldn't."

"If I'm never going to see you again, that's fine. I'm going off into dangerous territory, and I'm about to face a magister that wants to be a god, then I'm going off to some strange new land that I might never be able to return from. Dare I say, I might actually miss having you around."

"Do you even know what just came out of your mouth?"

"Yes, and I don't care."

"This is why I didn't want it to be difficult." Lantos dropped his arms to her waist, pulling her close. "What harm is one last embrace? To say goodbye." She moved her arms up his back and cupped her hands over his shoulders.

Almost on instinct she closed her eyes and leaned up, kissing his lips. He flinched, and at first his muscles started to tense, but they soon relaxed. Shocked with herself, she began to pull away, but the old familiar spark of his lips on hers made her crave the feeling of the man she loved so long ago.

"Damn the consequences," she whispered, "This is goodbye." As she pulled him onto her bed, she began to consider what it was that she was doing. His touch on her skin was gentle as it once had been, sending familiar waves of pleasure throughout her body, enabling her to forget for a moment her burdens.

For this final moment with him, nothing else mattered. Neither Corypheus or her mother, or memories of the Carta or her family could cause her any harm.

Afterwards she lay on her side, curled beneath the covers. Her trembling hand clutched the bed sheets and her nervous gaze flickered across the floorboards below. While part of her did not regret the act, her heart was filling with shame the longer she thought about Harding-and even Sandal.

"I don't know what came over me." She breathed shakily and turned her head, gazing at Lantos. He was seated on the corner of the bed, his head turned downward and his powerful hands clutched the edge of the mattress as though they may tear it like bread. "Lantos, I-was it that bad?"

His body appeared to slump forward as he turned his head. A small smile graced his expression and his half-lidded eyes beckoned her. "Of course not. I just haven't felt that in a long time. Having done that, makes it so harder for me to say goodbye."

"Do you regret it?"

He remained silent and his eyes moved down her body and onto the bed sheet, where they stayed for the longest time. "No," he said finally. Her heart flickered within and her eyes welled up with tears. "No I don't, but I want you to know I hadn't planned on it."

"Me either, it just-" He looked into her eyes and her breath caught her throat, forcing a sudden intake of air to enter into her lungs. "Happened. With everything going on, I just wanted to feel something familiar…before finding my dad, you and Dasher were the only things good about Thedas, I wanted to feel that about you one last time. I wanted to remember when and why I felt safe with you…I didn't think it would go this far."

He nodded and leaned over her, continuing to gaze into her trembling eyes. "Goodbye, Bianca." His hand moved to caress her cheek, and her face warmed at the slightest brush from his fingers. "Be safe, wherever you go and whatever you do."

"Why did you ever care about me? Before the Carta messed you up, before all the hell we went through. Why?"

His head slowly leaned towards the right and his gaze softened. "Because no matter how much shit you suffered throughout your life, you still had a heart." She bit down on the lower corner of her lip and moved her hand over her abdomen as though it could quell the nervous swelling of her stomach.

"You were still a decent person, and the fact that you kept pursuing your father meant you had hope of something good happening in the future…and that is what drew me to you. I never should have tainted that, but it's good to know that you are still that person."

"Oh…"

"Don't ever change. Never stop being that person." Her eyes shot back up at him and her lips fell apart. "You were the one good spot in the clan, the one good thing in all of Thedas. Why in the hell do you think you're the leader of the Inquisition? Why do you think people hang onto the things you say and the things you do?"

Tears ran from her eyes, and her hands closed around the blanket over her in a brisk attempt to conceal the shivering of her fingers.

Lantos swept his hand away from her cheek, leaving only a tingling sensation behind.

"You have that heart about you, and you should take that wherever your journey takes you. Thedas will be fine because of what you've done for them, and whatever new land gets to have you next-they will be lucky." He flashed a smile that melted her in an instant. "Whomever you wind up with, wherever you end up, whatever that person or place may be-they will never know how good they have it. Just like I never knew."

"Lan…"

"I have always loved you. Even when I was a stupid asshole, I have always loved you." He leaned towards her and she closed her eyes. A whimper broke from her lips when she felt a warm brush from his on her forehead.

His whisper was honey to her ears, caressing them. "For the longest time I wished I had been able to stop you from walking in that door at the conclave-I would have given anything to keep you from having that curse on your hand."

She tried in vain to speak, but her heart had risen to her throat and she had become too entranced with him. "If I could kill Corypheus for you, I would. If I could keep you from having to go into that dangerous territory that you're going to, I would, but I know you'll do just fine."

"How?" Her voice broke and her entire body seemed to shake in the attempt of speaking that one word. Lantos looked her over with tender eyes and groomed her hair back with a subtle stroke of his curved finger.

"You're strong." Her heart burst open and she felt a sudden rush of emotion pouring through her veins and bleeding out from her eyes with tremendous force. It was hard to believe those words could come out of his mouth, much less with the sincerity that was in his voice. "You always have been. You're tougher than you realize…hell you put up with me, a demon, for as long as you did. Who can ever doubt that you are an incredible and powerful woman?"

"Lan, I-"

Someone knocked at the bedroom door and Bianca gasped out. Varric called out to her from behind and Lantos slowly rose from the bed. "Bianca, are you alright? Leliana said she was certain she saw Lantos somewhere, and that Harding was talking incessantly to her for the past hour."

"Looks like that's my cue." She watched him leave to the balcony. Her hands pulled the blanket up to her chin, and her tears drenched it. Lantos stood on the rail of her balcony, looking one last time at her before gesturing at something below. "I'll aim for the hay pile on the battlements."

"W-What?" He leapt off the railing, his arms extended out to the sides and his legs straightened out together. Her eyes widened and she shot out from the bed, rushing out to the balcony to make sure he wasn't killing himself.

She clung to the rail tightly as her heartbeat pounded her chest rapidly. "Lan?" She scanned the area and spotted him diving into a hay pile. He then leapt from that and climbed over the wall, using the outer edge of the castle to hide himself from view as he descended.

His stealth amazed and surprised her, offering an explanation for how he was always able to get in and out without anyone seeing. She hugged her arms and turned around as she felt the chill of the air against her.

Varric knocked again, reminding her of his presence. "Give me a moment," she answered. She was afraid of having to tell him and then Harding what transpired here. She knew Harding was owed that explanation, even though she and Lantos had ended things. It terrified her to think of how her friend was going to react, and more so she felt terrible for giving in to feelings she was almost certain had vanished long ago.

* * *

Well what are your thoughts? It seems as though there has been a closure to Lantos, but not quite, we may or may not see him one last time. The Arbor Wilds near, and that means the ancient elves come. What do you suspect Bianca will learn? Also, this chapter, what are your thoughts to the interaction of the two and the things that Lantos has told her? She's going to have to talk to Harding too, let's see how that turns out. She knew he was there, I wonder if she had any idea what events might transpire.


	41. Understanding Friend

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 41 (An Understanding Friend)

Varric and Bianca sat together on the couch in her bedroom, staring without purpose at the bed before them. Her head was nested on his shoulder and his hand gently pat her upper arm. "Thank you for understanding," she said after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"Thank you for telling me. It is a lot to process, but it's okay." The main thing was that he wasn't angry. She was confused about the whole situation with Lantos and needed him to be understanding. "So the whole thing with the dragon back at Haven, when I was knocked out and pulled back to Skyhold…"

"Him."

"He's also the one that let Solas and myself know Corypheus was on his way."

"He said he'd been watching out for us all this time." She pulled her feet up to the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs to pull her knees against her chest. "I don't know what to feel, or how to react. He said he wanted me to be happy, to be with you. He said that before, he did love me, but the abuse? What was that? Was that pushing me away?"

"Maybe, maybe not." He gave her a gentle squeeze and she raised her eyes towards him. "If I've learned anything, it's that we should move on from the past the best we can, because if we're stuck there, we become prisoners of our own devices."

"I thought you stayed with mom through all these years." Granted much of the time was forced, she understood this just fine. It would have been hard for him to leave Davri, not knowing if he'd ever see his kid again. "What happened when we met? When we talked up there on the Winter Palace?"

"I told your mother she couldn't keep me locked anymore, that you were in my life and I could move on." He looked sideways and chuckled softly. "If only it were easy enough that she might understand what 'over' means."

"She doesn't want to let you go. Lantos said he was letting me go. I guess that's a difference, right?"

"Certainly." Varric's shoulders fell as an exhale left his lips like a gentle wind. "It's all going to be over soon. Solas tells me when we take our leave with Hawke and Isabela, we'll have to put the past behind us."

It was becoming difficult enough to do so. After what she'd just done, it was much harder. She could still feel him inside her, and no amount of guilt over this possibly hurting Harding made her crave that sensation again. "Dad? Can I ask something?"

Varric smiled warmly and squeezed her gently. "Anything." Her eyes dropped to the floor and she took a slow and trembling breath. Varric twisted towards her and furrowed his brow. "What's on your mind?"

"I know how Harding felt about Lantos, and they recently separated, and I feel bad knowing that what happened between the two of us would hurt her…" She raised her head up and felt a sharp ache in her chest. "I don't regret what happened. Is that-" Her hands folded in her lap and she shook her head. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"Well." He pulled his hand away and moved it towards his chin, curling his finger just beneath his lip. "No, I wouldn't say you're a bad person because of it. I'm sure you had you reason, and you didn't do it with the intention of hurting a friend."

"He reminded me of the man he was when we were first together, of the man I fell for. I think I just…missed that." She closed her eyes and slid her arms around her body, holding herself as a warm, calm feeling swept across her. "When we were first together, he made me feel wanted, he kept the Carta from doing to me what they do to all their women, and he loved me."

"What changed?"

"The carta. Aaron. Aaron tried to corrupt him, to destroy him-to tear us apart. He all but succeeded." She pushed her hand through her hair and stood slowly from the couch. "I think seeing that side of Lantos again-knowing he still cared for me, knowing that he'd been protecting me-protecting you even." Her muscles tensed and her voice grew swift and filled with a rushed breath. "I…I don't know."

Varric stood up and looked into her eyes with a tender stare that allowed her to relax. "I understand." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder and the corners of his mouth slid to the back of his cheeks. "You'll still want to talk to Harding. She may not want to hear your reasoning, but make this right. She knows your history with him, so if anything, she may be more understanding. Don't be afraid to talk to her, okay?"

"Easy for you to say." Varric smirked and Bianca dropped her head with an exhausted sigh. "I'll try. I don't know what I'm going to tell her." She wasn't going to make excuses or try to justify sleeping with Lantos by coming up with reasons, she just wanted Harding to know that she didn't do so with the intent of malice. "I just hope she doesn't hate me."

"I'm sure she won't."

Trying to find Harding was like trying to find a small object whilst stumbling through the dark, and with each person she asked that didn't know where Harding was, the greater her anxiety became.

Finally somebody reported seeing the scout climbing a tree outside Skyhold's bridge, so Bianca made her way there as fast as she could.

Harding was in the treetop of the tree on the east side of the bridge, seated in a corner of a slightly upwards angled branch with her legs crossed on top of the branch and her arms folded neatly on her abdomen. The scout cast a somber gaze into the distant sky, and a stream of tears glistened on her cheek.

Bianca approached slowly, biting down on her lip and attempting to swallow the nervous lump in her throat. "Harding?" She placed a hand on the trunk and gazed up to the scout. Her breath caught in her throat, and her chest began to tighten. "Harding, can we talk?"

"You should know my name is Lace-short for Lacey." Harding did not move, and gave the appearance as though her voice had only come from the clouds above. "I guess Lantos didn't tell you that, and neither did I."

"I…" The calmness in the scout's voice was sobering, and to Bianca it sounded as though she were trying not to break down. "Would you like for me to call you Lace, then?" Bianca looked up the tree, checking for small notches that could be used to climb it.

There were several small holes going up the trunk; but big enough for her to sink her fingers into. "I was just thinking. We're friends, so why am I calling you 'Bianca' and you're only referring to me as Scout Harding?" She pulled herself up with a grunt and climbed onto a branch that was sticking out from the side of the tree and to Harding's left.

"Are we still friends, Lacey?"

The silence that answered was startling. A numbness permeated her body, and she started to turn. Bianca watched with baited breath as Harding looked up to the sky. The scout's left thumb circled the surface of her hand.

"Yes." Relief crashed through her veins and forced a swift breath of air from her lungs. Harding turned towards her, still bearing a deep frown and a sad gaze. "Lantos…he came to see me one last time. Once I got away from Leliana."

"Oh…" The fear returned with its icy grip, threatening to crush her with all it's might. "I see." Her eyes dropped to the ground and started to burn. "What did he say?"

"The truth." Her head jerked up with a gasp. Harding reached around the tree and placed a trembling hand onto Bianca's wrist. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you." Her eyes widened and her jaw fell open.

Questions circled her like a poisonous fog, each one she wanted to ask seemed like lighting in that there was no knowing how dangerous they could be. "H-He told you?" She blinked twice and looked back into Harding's eyes. "Then you need to know, I didn't do it out of malice or spite. I just-I don't know exactly what came over me."

"Yeah." Harding pulled her hand away and pushed her back into the tree. Bianca mimicked her posture and peered down to the hands in her lap. Her fingers closed gently and she could feel her blood pumping through her entire body. "You know, Bianca…"

She raised and turned her head, looking at the faint smile Harding had with a bit of surprise. "Lantos talked to me about the whole thing with the Carta and the blood they were making him drink." She furrowed her brow and leaned towards Harding.

"I'm surprised he talked about it."

"He was hooked on it, Bianca. Like Cullen was with lyrium. That's why he became the way he was."

"And you helped him get off that?"

"It was hard to do, but yes." Her heart sank for a moment, but she felt her sorrow being replaced by a strange sense of joy. A smile formed and she decided to keep listening to Harding's tale.

"He was a good man when he wasn't drinking that stuff."

"You see why I can't be angry with you?" Harding turned back to her, gazing happily at her. "We both loved the same man. A man that had been taken from you by the worst kind of people."

Harding raised her hand and pushed it through her hair with a sigh. "I think, I think you needed to see him free from that hold." Bianca's heart flickered for a moment and her eyes dropped to the ground below. "I can't fault you for still feeling what you did, or wanting to be with him once you saw the man he used to be-but he never stopped being that man. I knew he never stopped caring for you. All he ever thought about was protecting you and your father."

"I'm sorry, Lace…"

"Don't be." Harding turned back around, grunting as she shifted into a more comfortable position. "He's gone now, and once we deal with Corypheus, we're leaving Thedas. We'll probably never see him again…there's no sense in wasting our breath being upset, but maybe, maybe we can just talk sometime? When you're ready to, and if it's okay with you…"

"To talk about him?"

"Yes. I don't want this to cause a rift in our friendship, Bianca." Harding tucked a strand of hair over her ear and chuckled. "God knows there have been enough rifts elsewhere."

She laughed and threw a hand over her mouth, letting it hover for just a few seconds before pulling it away.

Almost every rift in Thedas had been closed off now, and once they close the breach for good, the country would be safe from them. "We've done a good thing. Haven't we?"

"Definitely." Bianca rolled back against the trunk and gazed up at the clouds drifting slowly overhead. Her smile grew as a warm, comfortable silence embraced her. She shut her eyes and breathed in slowly, to take it all in.

She was happy that Harding wasn't too upset with her, more so that Lantos had doubled back to tell the girl the truth about what happened. It was unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.

"Hey Bianca?" Harding's voice was so quiet that the wind could almost overpower it. Bianca's head turned partially and her eyes opened halfway. "If you don't mind me asking. How did the two of you meet?"

"He never told you?"

"No. He tried not to talk about his relationship with you too much, since he always said he didn't want to be disrespectful towards me."

"I understand." Her heart swelled as the memory of first meeting Lantos drifted into her mind, giving her a strong sense of serenity.

Her eyes lit up as she thought about the man standing beside Dasher, smirking with a great deal of pride.

"It wasn't anything so elaborate, really." She swept a fallen strand of hair from her face while Harding rolled towards her to listen. "I met him and Dasher together, they were just exploring the area, I guess. I met Lantos first."

Where she was at that point in her life was a dark and horrendous place, she'd come close to giving up numerous times. "On the day they found me, I was sitting next to a tree with…" She stopped for a moment and the smile faded from her face as the darker part of the memory flashed before her. "With an empty noose set up above me." Harding's eyebrows curled together and the girl extended her hand slowly, placing it carefully into Bianca's.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Bianca smiled at the scout and took in another trembling breath. Her heart skipped a beat and she closed her eyes as every muscle in her body relaxed. "He found me and cut the noose before I could do anything, sat and started asking me why I felt like I had to die, and stuff…"

"So he kept you from giving up right there?"

"In a way. I've always admired that he didn't tell me I was wrong, he just sat and talked to me." She raised her shoulders up and started to smile once more. "He asked me if I had anywhere to go, and I said 'no'. After that, he took me to find Dasher, and convinced him that I needed to be with them."

"Lantos must have known how the Carta were, though."

"He did, and so did Dasher. Both of them said they would make sure the Carta left me alone." Harding nodded once and Bianca wiped a tear from her eyelids. Her body started to tense and a sharp ache struck her chest like a knife to the heart. "Aaron, you remember him?"

Harding's eyes narrowed and her lips tightened together. "I couldn't forget that bastard."

"He was the third in command, behind Lantos and beneath Dasher. He couldn't stand that I was 'off-limits', or that…I was with Lan." She closed her arms over her stomach, fighting back the nausea swirling like a storm within her. Harding's eyes started to quiver and the girl tenderly touched Bianca's arm.

"You don't have to."

She leaned her head back against the trunk, and her entire body shook. "Dasher didn't know anything about Aaron, but Lantos did. He watched me like a hawk." Her voice shattered and fresh tears ran down her cheeks as bits of a memory she'd blocked out started to rush forward. "Aaron never got close-until they nearly killed Lantos with those explosives, and when they would spike his food and drink with darkspawn filth…"

Harding crossed over to her branch and put an arm around Bianca's shoulders, holding her tight. Bianca's head was pounding and her throat burned with anger and nausea. "The one time Lan couldn't keep them away, and Dasher had to focus his attention on keeping Lantos alive." Veins bulged from her tightly clenched hands, and her voice was hoarse as a sob cracked from her lips.

Harding shut her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Back at the Emprise, I wondered why Lantos hated Aaron and the Carta so much. I never asked, he probably wouldn't have told me." She hugged Bianca tight and started to whisper. "Bianca, I'm…It wasn't your fault. Nothing you've ever suffered has been your fault. What your mother did, what Marcus and Amelia did, what Aaron and the Carta might have done to you-it's all on them."

She tried to speak, but her words were concealed by the sobs generated from the memories that plagued her now like a cloud of poison. Harding gently pat her on the back and looked down to the castle.

"It'll all be over soon, Bianca. I can see why you hate Thedas so much." They swayed together as though blown by the gentle breeze. Bianca's hand touched over Harding's wrist, grasping it firmly while peering out at the area around her.

She was ready to take on Corypheus and leave, as soon as possible. "There's nothing here now," she said with a strained voice. "Even with my clan dead, just thinking how the Carta is everywhere-I can't…"

They were all over Thedas, just like her mother could be hiding in every shadow. Marcus may be dead, and Amelia banished to Orzammar, but that didn't settle the anguish and paranoia that Amelia might escape and come after her.

The darkspawn had been a greater force in her life than she'd first thought, realizing how it was the blood of those creatures that drove her on protector insane to the point of nearly killing him. If another blight came, and it surely would, she didn't want to have to see those disgusting creatures populating the continent.

"L-Let's go, Harding. The Arbor Wilds. We need to stop Corypheus…now."

"Now?" Harding pulled her head back and cast a skeptical glance her way. "Are you really ready to leave for the Wilds right now?"

"No time like the present." Her breathing hitched and the painful tightness in her body only slightly relaxed. "I'm ready to kill the bastard and get the hell out of this place. Thedas is hell, and I want out. Now."

"I'll let the others know."

* * *

Well, what are your thoughts? Is it good that Harding isn't letting what happened between Bianca and Lantos get between the friendship she has with Bianca? What are your opinions on the chapter? I truly do want to hear from you, I enjoy your input as much as I enjoy writing. So the Arbor Wilds are coming. What do you think the ancient elves will say? We must assume Bianca and Varric will have questions for them


	42. Answer from the Ancients

Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out, I got stuck and then a number of things happened in my life that kept me busy. Here you go, the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 42 (Answers from the Ancients)

Bianca marched on the wilds with her father at her side. Harding was leading forces elsewhere, but her presence was felt as strongly as the concern in Varric's watchful eyes. She walked firmly and her eyes scanned the area for any and every threat she could detect.

Cassandra followed her closely while Solas walked alongside Morrigan in the front, arguing over some of her methods but agreeing on others. Bianca found herself unable to focus too largely on this conversation, but on her imminent thoughts.

Morrigan and Solas said the Arbors were home to a presence that felt older than anything they knew, and something Solas wound up muttering enough for her to hear had Bianca feeling like answers to some of the most ancient secrets could be found here. Still, she didn't know that for certain, but she did take note of Solas's discomfort.

Hell, the well they were after was said to be ancient, and Morrigan mentioned the temple in the Wilds being ancient. "I wonder if we'll find answers here," Bianca said to her father. Varric hummed with contemplation and shrugged.

"If we get to this well before Corypheus, perhaps." All along they'd been after the Eluvian mirror, up until they saw Corypheus regenerate using the body of a Grey Warden and mention a well of sorrows.

When they charged after him, they wound up running into the leader of the Venatori, who had been blindly following Corypheus. They had to dispatch some of these people before progressing; it wasn't as troubling as it used to be, for Bianca had one goal in mind that kept her pushing forward: Save the people of Thedas, and get on Isabela's boat as soon as she could.

_Soon_.

Soon she wouldn't have to fear the Carta any longer, soon she wouldn't have to look over her shoulder to see if her mother was lurking. She didn't want to say she didn't care about the fate of Thedas, she did; she just wanted to be done with everything.

Morrigan looked over to her and casually approached. "You have not spoken much since we've arrived. There is something on your mind?"

"You know what's on my mind right now, but I have to focus on Corypheus."

"I hope you are not rushing and that you will be truly ready to take him on."

"I will be ready." She was less afraid of Corypheus than she was her own mother, but she respected him as an enemy. With the help of her father and with Leliana, she studied him enough to try and understand him. "What about you?"

"I am will aid in any way that I am able, but I do have one request for you." Morrigan glanced downward, her knuckles turning white on her staff. Bianca raised her hand to signal the others to stop. Whatever was going on with Morrigan, she wanted to know; if there was anything she could do, she would. "It's hardly appropriate timing, but this matter has been on my mind."

"What is it?"

"You and your father will be leaving us once Corypheus is done, correct? I…" Morrigan's voice trailed off as her chin dipped. Bianca pursed her lips and looked to her father, who casually glanced back. Morrigan took a deep breath and raised her head back. "I assume that has not changed."

"No, it hasn't. What's on your mind?"

"I confess that I wish to find answers here to the questions that I have." The woman grasped her left wrist and looked away to the right, her eyes were half-lidded and her bangs seemed to sway loosely before the somber gaze. "I have been studying on these ancient spells to find anything I can about this barrier that seems to shield the rest of the world from Thedas-however it appears Hawke and Isabella know more than I do."

"They don't have all the answers." An exhale fell from her lips and she shook her head gently. "I'm afraid none of us do."

"My concern is for Kieran." Her breath grew shallow and everyone stopped to listen. "I spoke with Leliana and she said that she and David are tossing about the idea of going with your group. If it comes to it, I would like for Kieran to go with them."

She furrowed her brow and waited for Morrigan's gaze to connect with hers. "Morrigan, I-I would think that would be something you need to discuss with them-"

"I will."

"So what are you asking me?"

"I'm saying, I know I can't leave. I must stay." She felt a pang of sorrow in her chest and frowned as a tear ran away from the woman's eye. "Thedas is as dangerous as you know, and something terrible is coming, I can feel it. I have to stay where I'm needed, but I cannot protect my son."

"But you would send your son away?"

Morrigan took a deep breath and held it. As she released her breath of air, she raised her hand up and over to Varric. "Varric, surely you understand the lengths a parent would go through to protect their child." Varric exhaled and his eyes drifted towards Bianca. "If you could have known all of this would occur, if you had any control over whet her or not your daughter…"

"I would have given anything to keep Bianca away from all of this," he replied with a calm and quiet voice. Bianca smiled sadly as her father's gaze drifted back to Morrigan. "If I had the ability, I would have protected her from the Carta, from Marcus and Amelia…from even her own mother."

"You'd give your life, you'd sacrifice everything to know she was safe."

"Yeah."

"So would I for my son."

"But I also know what it's like to not have that ability." Varric walked towards Morrigan, reassuring her with a smile. She was trembling and looked to be filled with uncertainty. His smile faded as he swept his hand through his hair. "I know what it's like to be unable to do anything; to have your child taken from you and never see her."

His eyes grew misty and he turned his head. Bianca remained quiet, letting her eyes fill with fresh tears as she listened to the shaking of her father's voice. "Never see her first steps, never hear her first words-to see her eyes light up when she discovers something new and amazing, or to be there to wipe away her tears when she gets her first big cut or scrape." She chuckled once through her tears and watched the smile grow on Morrigan's face

"Maybe I should really be talking to David and Leliana, to see what they want." A flash of realization flickered in the woman's eyes, and her somber expression turned to horror. "Am I as bad as Davri? Have I kept Kieran away his father? I don't even know how David feels-I only assumed."

"I don't think you kept your son away from him for any malicious reasons." Varric shrugged and Morrigan moved her hand over her mouth. "I would hardly compare you with Bianca's mother."

"But I told David ten years ago that Kieran would never know his father, I did not stop to consider whether he wanted to know his son or not. I must be a terrible person."

Varric groaned and turned away. "Stop that." He closed his hands, growling through clenched teeth. Bianca raised her eyebrows and looked at Cassandra and Solas; they seemed to be focused on the environment around them as though they wanted no part of the conversation. "Yes that's selfish, and I can't respect a woman keeping their child away from its father if he's a good person, for obvious reasons, but it seems like you at least care for the kid. You're not a bad person, you just made a decision ten years ago that can't be changed. You can make a choice now about what you want to do about it."

"You are right." Morrigan nodded and took a sharp breath. "You're a wise man, Varric." Varric started back down the path, motioning the others to follow. He breathed huskily and shook his head.

"I'm not wise, I've just been through shit. Shit I'm ready to put behind me."

"You will soon!" Solas grinned. The others looked to the elf and Varric chuckled. "Once you and your daughter start on that expedition you've got planned."

"Yeah, and the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can leave." Varric grabbed his crossbow and started to aim it. Bianca furrowed her brow and looked in the direction of the aim and let out a sigh when she saw a red Templar knight; it was a grim reminder of where they were. "So let's get this show on the road."

He fired off an arrow that pierced through the eye slit of the helmet. The red templar's body jerked and crumpled to the ground as a fountain of blood shot from the helm.

Rushing through the Wilds, they came across a ghastly sight of Corypheus not only dying, but being resurrected through the body of a grey warden. It was horrific, and led them to question how killing him would be possible.

They also came across a path where they could pay respect to the ancients, or follow Samson. Morrigan convinced Bianca to take the path of puzzles, even though she preferred to race after Samson; she just didn't want to take chances.

It paid off in the most startling way, however, as they entered an extravagant room of a large temple. Many of the odd elves they saw throughout the Wilds appeared behind them with arrows drawn, and one that appeared to be the leader approached from a balcony above. He was tall, had a strange tattooed insignia on his forehead, and was wearing a hooded cloak.

"I am Abelas," spoke the elf, "You are unlike the other invaders. You have shown respect to Mythal." He scratched at his chin and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"We're here to stop Corypheus, he wants your well." Their conversation went on and as realization of just who these elves were sank in, Bianca's heartbeat seemed to stop with all of time.

These were ancient elves. The very elves that may have been around when the barrier was erected. Now wasn't the time to ask all the questions on her mind, but she had to know. "Abelas please, when this is over, I have a question for you."

"We shall see, but first, I must tend to the well. It cannot be despoiled, even if I must destroy it myself." He then took off, which led Morrigan to take flight after him.

As the shock left the group, they noticed the guide for the first time that would lead them to their destination. The guide took them through shimmering corridors with beautiful murals that distracted Bianca's eye.

Soon they were out, and left to stop Samson. It didn't take much, since the stone Dagna made was able to negate his lyrium-infused armor. When they finished their fight with him, they raced up to the well where Morrigan appeared before Abelas.

"Stop!" Bianca cried out in alarm. "We're not here to do anything to degrade your well, we're simply trying to stop Corypheus." Abelas grunted and Morrigan sighed.

"The well could be useful," Morrigan replied, "Even if we don't do something since Samson is gone, Corypheus could still return."

The argument of what to do with the well went on until Abelas gave cryptic information regarding it. Still, other questions weighed on her mind and Abelas kept looking to her as though he knew. Her posture and expressions gave away the yearning to get out her thoughts.

Eventually he caved. "It seems you had something you wished to ask of me?"

"Yes, what do you know about the ancient barrier that surrounds Thedas and keeps it from the rest of the world?" Abelas's eyes went large and his chin dropped a bit as silence filled the air. Even the birds and rustling leaves seemed to fall quiet.

"That was so long ago, why do you wish to know of it?"

"Because we've been granted passage out of Thedas. Once Corypheus is finished. Some of our companions have concerns." Abelas raised his head and started to sigh. "We understand because our captain went through it and was told some information about it, such as mages and elves are denied passage…"

"In general, yes." Abelas locked his wrists behind his back and paced to the right. "The guardian of the barrier may or may not have mercy, but magic cannot pass through Thedas. Elves are denied for their own protection, as the rest of the world would not understand them." Abelas tan his finger across the flesh of his lower lip and sighed. "It isn't a perfect world, but the barrier was designed to protect it from all that Thedas has been tainted with through the practice of magic."

"What will we find when we pass through?"

"A world that is far more advanced. Things that you may not understand." She raised her eyebrows and a spark of intrigue fell from her heart. "Magic cannot pass through, it will be snuffed from the very person at a price…much like using this well."

"I see." She lowered her gaze and her expression grew tense with worry. They had only one mage she knew of that wanted to go, and that was Thane's sister, Bethany. "Um…" Raising her head, she thought of her heroes and wished to know if the taint within Grey Wardens would affect them going through the barrier. "What about grey wardens?"

Abelas crossed his arms and looked to the sky which seemed to swell above them. "Like the mage, they too will be cleansed, but at a price which will be decided by the guardian of the barrier."

Great risk was involved in adventure. Oghren was already adamant about taking that risk, so there was no way of talking him out of it. David and Bethany could be different, so she wanted to let Leliana and Thane know that there was risk involved, and they could all decide for themselves what was best.

"Outside of Thedas, you will find a very scientific world, I cannot promise passage through that barrier will be easy; but I can say if you do, the guardian will not let you return and erase the location of Thedas from memory."

"So we won't even be able to try and come back?"

` "Exactly. As those who enter from outside will never be permitted to leave. You leave a world behind for a brand new world, you can take nothing that would be a threat to that world and nothing from that world will be allowed."

"So a mage attempting passage could die?" Morrigan asked, her voice trembling with anxiety. Abelas slid his eyes towards her and nodded.

"There is a risk of anything. The guardian may decide what it is you lose." Morrigan curled her hand over her chest and looked to the others with a deep frown. Abelas turned to Bianca and swept his hand up in the air. "May I ask why you are leaving?"

"A lot of it has to do with the demons, the darkspawn, the dragons, blights and just an overall lack of good memories here in Thedas. Aside from that, there's the excitement of seeing a new world. Exploration and adventure."

"Hold on to that last part," Solas chimed in. The others turned to him and he shrugged. "The outside may not suffer what Thedas does and may remain untouched by magic, but that doesn't mean they might not have demons of their own. Evil and corruption exist anywhere."

"That's expected," Varric replied with a mutter, "Half the evil done to us in our lifetime was inflicted by people that couldn't perform magic. Even still, I'm not sure what's worse between my ex, the Cadash family, and a hundred blood mages with demons and darkspawn."

Morrigan chuckled. "At least Davri can't change into an archdemon." Varric's eyes grew wide and he slowly reached for his bow, causing the woman to put her hands up. "I'm kidding!"

Bianca shook her head and turned away from the group, focusing solely on Abelas. "So, sir, what's the history?" Abelas raised an eyebrow and she moved her hands behind her back. "I've heard said that ancient dwarves were really just humans…"

"That's true. There are but two races: Human and Elven."

"What about Qunari?"

Abelas smirked, his sharp gaze growing narrower. "There were some 'mentally curious' humans among the group of ancient humans that travelled to this land." Her lips formed an oval as his words sank in. "Qunari were created through a combination of magical experimentation and beastiality."

Cassandra let out a disgusted groan and rolled her eyes. "Let's remember not to tell Iron Bull he's right about his ancestors mixing blood with that of animals." The others murmured their agreement, knowing there was no way of knowing how Bull would take learning the Qunari theory was true. "So I'm guessing there's a reason Tevinters and Qunari don't get along?"

"Well, the Tevinters were the first group of humans, they were the ones that intermingled with our ancient elven race and also used the power of blood magic to try and strengthen themselves by combining the infusing the blood of powerful animals within their own flesh…of course the Qunari eventually formed their own race and broke away, since they were being used as slaves."

"Oh."

"Now the Elven race came first in this continent, and our Elven gods were simply living beings that first came to discover magic. A coven of Elven friends; Mythal, Fen'Harel, and so on. They infused the ability to use magic into their genes, and thereby became gods. They used their 'gift' to push the ability to use magic into the bloodlines of fellow Elvish people that came to them asking for the ability. It was something sought out in the early days, not something that anyone was afraid of."

It sounded like magic hadn't been used for dangerous or malicious purposes at first, but power like that always had potential for misuse and corruption. "I can't imagine having power like that not leading to corruption," Bianca stated, repeating her thoughts. Abelas nodded and turned around, gazing up at the sky.

"You are correct. Those using the ability quickly learned to take advantage. Mythal was murdered because she wished to find a way to undo the act of using magic."

Abelas looked down and his shoulders fell. "As for your ancient dwarves and the reason they cannot perform magic, it is simply that the humans chose to stay away from the war caused by magic and humans breeding with native elves. This group was small, two or three different families of humans with stunted growth that kept to themselves and hid away, forming their own society near the outskirts of the continent."

He turned back to the group, his hand moving slowly through the air in front of him. "It was not long before we determined that we had to protect the rest of the world from what we discovered, and thus erected a barrier said to be guarded by Fen'Harel and other ancient 'gods'.

"Okay." Varric tapped his foot on the ground and squinted, his expression fueling with curiosity. "So that's the story behind Qunari and Dwarves, but what about the elves? Where do you come from? Why were the elves the only race in Thedas and why only here in Thedas?"

"Curious question." Abelas stroked his chin while the others waited patiently. Bianca wanted to know the answer more now that her father thought of it, as she hadn't wondered it beforehand. "Even the ancients of our time were uncertain. It is believed we evolved from a creature not found anywhere else in the world, one that is extinct now."

"What does that theory come from?"

"Interestingly enough, your own ancestors." Varric's eyebrows rose. "They found fossils and bones of a four legged creature from long ago that had pointed ears and sharp teeth. There were earlier fossils found that seemed to depict this creature at a later date with opposable thumbs and bones that indicated it was using its hind legs to walk."

"So the elven race evolved from an animal long dead?"

"That is the closest theory anyone has of our race, and it was found by your people."

"Amazing."

"Thedas was once a beautiful and remarkable land, but the discovery of magic twisted it."

"I suspect that discovery has something to do with lyriuim?"

"Yes, but there is a kind of plant with a certain type of crystal found deep in a cavern within the heart of Thedas that bore the elemental properties which gave the ancients the ability to control the elements. Over time, people have learned to cultivate this element, and that element is lyrium itself."

Lyrium was the key to everything, and it was likely forbidden above all else at the barrier. The ancients must have infused it somehow in their bloodstream; but this was all of little concern.

For the most part, Bianca had the answers she was looking for. While some of it made her exceptionally nervous for her friends, it bolstered her desire to see the world outside of Thedas.

"I'm actually excited to see what we'd find out there." She smiled gently and looked at her father, who matched her smile. "It'll be interesting to see a world that doesn't rely on magic."

"Yes." Abelas sighed and lowered his arms to his sides. "I do hope you find the adventure you seek and more."

"Thank you." She gave a respectful nod and waited as he returned a nod of his own before leaving. Turning to the well, she knew Morrigan still wanted to use it in order to help stop Corypheus. "Now, about this well…"

"I'm going to stop you there," Varric replied, "If anyone's using that well, it's going to be Morrigan." She raised an eyebrow and the others looked slowly to Varric, who was staring with fatherly determination and a certain demeanor. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you drink that shit if there's some sort of price or something like that."

"But-"

"No buts."

"I wasn't even thinking of doing that…" She chuckled softly and motioned to the well. "Morrigan? Are you sure? I think Abelas was talking about some sort of compulsion or whatever. Bound to the will of Mythal."

Morrigan glanced nervously at the well, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I am still willing to partake. Unless you can think of someone better suited?"

"Solas?"

"No," Solas replied firmly, "Do not ask again."

"So be it." She took a step back and took a deep breath. "Go ahead, Morrigan." There was a strange sensation coming from the well that she didn't quite like, but she trusted at the same time that it wouldn't be terrible. Of course, it had to do with magic once again, and that was something she was growing tired of more now than ever.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Give your thoughts and opinions. The fight with Corypheus comes soon, and then we'll be seeing the Mother, Davri, again. The conclusion to this tale is coming soon, and a new adventure awaits.


End file.
